Rahul Gandhi alleges BJP-ECI voter fraud, says 1 lakh votes stolen via 5 methods in Karnataka
New Delhi: In a development that could have far-reaching implications for Indian democracy, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to carry out “massive electoral fraud” across the country.
Addressing an elaborate press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday, Gandhi presented what he described as documentary evidence to support his claims, using Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly constituency as a case study, referring to it as the "model of vote theft."
Gandhi's claims go beyond routine political rhetoric, striking at the heart of the integrity of India’s electoral process and the institutional credibility of the Election Commission. Delivering on his promise made last week to reveal “atom bomb” level evidence, he spent over an hour laying out numerical data and documentation that he claims prove systematic manipulation of the electoral rolls.
He pointed out that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP required to ‘steal’ only 25 additional seats to retain power, and many of those seats were won with marginal vote differences. The manipulation, he alleged, directly impacted those outcomes.
Citing Mahadevapura as the focal point of his allegations, Gandhi claimed that out of 6.5 lakh registered voters, approximately 1 lakh votes were “systematically stolen” using five key methods:
1. Duplicate voters: He alleged that 11,965 fake voters were created by registering the same individual multiple times under different IDs.
2. Fake addresses: Approximately 40,009 voters were registered under addresses where no one resides, yet votes were cast in their names.
3. Bulk voter registrations: Large numbers of voters were registered under a single residential address, Gandhi gave examples such as 80 voters under one roof, and 46 in another.
4. Invalid photographs: Around 4,132 voter ID cards contained illegible or non-verifiable photographs, yet those individuals were permitted to vote.
5. Misuse of Form-6: The form used to register new voters was allegedly exploited by uploading multiple photos for the same individual, resulting in repeated entries in the electoral roll.
He argued that these irregularities had a direct bearing on the outcome in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, which the Congress lost by a narrow margin.
According to Gandhi, the Congress party had been investigating these anomalies for over six months, despite facing major hurdles from the Election Commission. He alleged that the Commission deliberately shared the voter rolls in non-machine-readable formats to obstruct digital verification.
“We manually scrutinised lakhs of pages. If we stack them, the paper pile reaches 7 feet tall. Why won’t the ECI share machine-readable electronic data? They are hiding the truth to obstruct our investigation. This is a systemic conspiracy,” he said.
He further stated that initial suspicions arose during the 2023 Chhattisgarh elections, but it was after the Maharashtra assembly results in 2024 that the party's doubts regarding vote theft were confirmed. He claimed that in Maharashtra, 40 Lakh ‘mysterious’ voters were added within months and that a sudden surge in voter turnout after 5 PM raised additional red flags. Similar irregularities, he alleged, led to the Congress’s defeat in Haryana.
Openly challenging the Election Commission, Gandhi said, “If the ECI is not colluding with the BJP, then let it prove it. Why is it refusing to share electronic data and CCTV footage? As a constitutional institution, the Commission has abdicated its responsibility. This is not just a legal battle, I am speaking to the youth and citizens of India. Now, the ball is in the ECI’s court.”
By framing the issue as a people’s movement rather than a purely legal dispute, Gandhi signalled that his party would now take the fight to the public arena, aiming to shape national opinion.
The Election Commission responded immediately and sharply to Gandhi's charges. Moments after the press conference concluded, the ECI issued a directive asking the Congress leader to submit all related evidence. The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Karnataka specifically sought documentation supporting the allegations concerning the Mahadevapura constituency, with a deadline set for the end of the day on Thursday.
The ECI has previously countered similar claims by pointing out that the Congress failed to file formal legal petitions when given the opportunity.
These fresh allegations come amid existing controversy over the recent removal of 65 lakh names from voter rolls in Bihar, further escalating tensions between opposition parties and the Election Commission.
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Gujarat voted for development & good governance, says Pradhan as BJP sweeps local body polls
New Delhi (PTI): Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said the people of Gujarat have reaffirmed their faith in the politics of development, stability and good governance as the BJP swept the local body elections by winning all 15 municipal corporations and 33 out of 34 district panchayats in the state.
Thanking the voters, Pradhan said the result is a testament to the people's unwavering trust in the BJP, the relentless hard work of the party workers and the strength of the organisation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
“The people of Gujarat have once again made it clear that their trust remains firmly aligned with the politics of development, stability and good governance. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Gujarat for the support received by the BJP in the local body elections,” Pradhan posted on X.
“Under the guidance of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, this result is a remarkable testament to the people's unwavering trust, the relentless hard work of the Gujarat BJP workers, and the strength of the organisation,” he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Gujarat for what he termed a "sweeping mandate" in the local body polls, saying the bond between the state and the BJP has grown even stronger.
Modi said people have voted for the politics of good governance, and assured that the party would work harder to take Gujarat to new heights of progress.
Though final results for 250 taluka panchayats and 84 municipalities were awaited, data from the State Election Commission (SEC) showed that the ruling BJP won most of these local bodies while some were bagged by the Congress, AAP and Independents.
Polling was held on Sunday for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats.
The BJP emerged a clear winner in the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Rajkot, besides the newly created municipal corporations of Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
