Rahul Gandhi alleges Election Commission 'compromised' in US; BJP responds sharply
Boston / New Delhi: Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an event in Boston, USA, alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is "compromised" and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Citing figures from the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Gandhi claimed that more people had reportedly voted than the total number of adult citizens in the state. He further questioned the voting data, stating, “The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5:30 PM and between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible. For a person to vote, it takes approximately 3 minutes. If you do the math, this would mean lines of voters extending till 2 AM—but such queues were never seen.”
He added that when the Congress party requested videography records to verify the voting data, the ECI not only denied the request but subsequently changed the law to restrict access to such footage.
The BJP responded strongly to Gandhi’s remarks. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan accused him of launching another "Bharat Badnam Yatra" and tarnishing India’s institutions abroad. “Rahul Gandhi, who is once again undermining India’s democracy on foreign soil, is peddling lies and falsehoods. He attacks our Election Commission in America at a time when global leaders, including former US President Donald Trump, have praised India’s electoral system,” Kesavan said.
Kesavan further criticized Gandhi for attempting to damage the credibility of Indian institutions while overseas, suggesting that the Congress leader lacks an understanding of the robustness of the country’s democratic framework.
VIDEO | Here's what BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan (@crkesavan) said on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's remarks in Boston on Election Commission of India.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 21, 2025
"Rahul Gandhi who is on another 'Bharat Badnam Yatra', 'India Abuse Yatra' on foreign soil has once again, deplorably attacked… pic.twitter.com/d65oBjICKN
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
ALSO READ: Slain Australia beach shooting suspect native of Hyderabad: T'gana police
Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
