Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday cited an analysis of data from a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka from the 2024 general elections to allege that the Election Commission is colluding with the BJP to "steal elections" and called it a "crime" against the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi said the Congress put together a team and collected "concrete evidence of vote chori" in six months.
"If the EC does not give us machine-readable data for the past 10-15 years and the CCTV footage, they are partaking in the crime," Gandhi said and added, "The judiciary needs to get involved in this because the democracy that we love so much does not exist."
Chief Electoral Officer in Maharashtra writes to Rahul Gandhi
Reacting to Rahul’s allegations, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Maharashtra wrote to the Congress MP and said, “It is understood that during a Press Conference held today, you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls. You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed Declaration/Oath along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated..."
Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka fact-checks Rahul Gandhi
In a similar manner, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka wrote a letter to Rahul Gandhi, saying, “It is understood that during a Press Conference held today, you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls cited at Para 3. You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated..."
Fadnavis slams Rahul Gandhi: 'Chip stolen from his brain'
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis replied sharply to Rahul Gandhi's allegation that the Maharashtra Assembly elections were "stolen." Brushing off the claim, Fadnavis delivered a biting retort, saying, "I think the chip from Rahul Gandhi's brain has been stolen." Speaking to reporters near Panaji, Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, hit back at Gandhi over his voter fraud claim in Maharashtra, where assembly polls were held in November 2024.
"I feel that, may be, he (Gandhi) should get his brain checked," he said when asked about the Congress MP's remarks on the Maharashtra elections. "Either his brain has been stolen or a chip in his brain is missing. That is why he is making such statements often," opined the Maharashtra Chief Minister. Fadnavis was in Panaji to attend an event where he was the chief guest.
Mallikarjun Kharge supports Rahul Gandhi
However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge backed Rahul Gandhi's allegations on "vote fraud" in Karnataka and said it was time to save democracy and the Constitution as well as the country. He also claimed that earlier, the Election Commission used to be lauded worldwide and countries would seek training in conducting impartial polls, but now it "acts like a representative of the ruling party" when asked questions on the conduct of elections.
"When a political party raised questions with the Election Commission, it would respond or provide clarification within the bounds of constitutional dignity. Today, when someone questions the ECI, instead of responding, it acts like a representative of the ruling party, levelling counter-allegations and making baseless statements without considering the demands of opposition parties," Kharge said in his X post in Hindi.
Also Read:
