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.
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.
Rain wreaks havoc in Bengaluru, kills 10
Bengaluru (PTI):The rains in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening wreaked havoc, killing 10 people, authorities said.
Heavy rains coupled with a hailstorm and gusty winds uprooted trees, flooded many key stretches and threw traffic out of gear, they said on Thursday.
Large parts of the city witnessed sudden, intense rainfall for nearly an hour, bringing down trees and electric poles, crushing parked vehicles and inundating low-lying areas, while several roads were rendered impassable, severely disrupting vehicular movement during peak hours.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a compound wall of the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed amid the downpour.
Among the deceased, two were from Kerala who were on a study tour. They had taken shelter near the wall when it gave way, they said.
ALSO READ: ICSE, ISC results: Girls outperform boys, pass rate over 99%
In another incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Raghu, died of electrocution on Bannerghatta Road near Vega City Mall.
In a separate case in Yarab Nagar, a student, Syed Sufiyan died after coming into contact with a live electric wire while attempting to park his motorcycle during the rain, police said.
One more fatality was reported from Chamarajapet, where Manjunath died on the spot after a cement block fell and pierced through the roof of a house during the storm.
The sudden spell of rain left a trail of destruction across the city.
“So far, 10 people have died due to rain-related incidents in Bengaluru,” police said, attributing the deaths to wall collapse, electrocution and structural damage triggered by the storm.
Civic authorities said at least 87 trees were uprooted and 131 branches snapped across the city, disrupting daily life.
Of these, 60 trees and 98 branches had been cleared, while restoration work was ongoing.
Several cars and two-wheelers parked along roadsides were crushed under fallen trees.
Key junctions and underpasses were waterlogged, with the KR Circle underpass completely submerged, forcing police to barricade the stretch due to lack of drainage.
Fallen branches and stalled vehicles further worsened traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Officials said buildings suffered partial damage in several areas, while the sudden and unanticipated nature of the storm caught many residents off guard. Authorities have issued a rain alert for the next three days.
