The Leader of the Opposition in India’s Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has reiterated his accusations against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing the alleged vote manipulation as an act of “treason,” as reported by The News.
In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the Congress leader repeated his claims of electoral fraud, mentioning additional states where he alleged irregularities had occurred.
“Vote theft is not just an electoral scam; it is a major betrayal committed against the constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this—times will change, punishment will surely be meted out,” Gandhi stated.
This statement follows remarks made by Gandhi at a meeting of the opposition INDIA alliance on Thursday evening, where he claimed that a “huge criminal fraud” had taken place during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He cited a survey in Karnataka which, he said, uncovered six key irregularities: multiple entries for the same voter, duplicate registrations across states, false addresses, clusters of bulk voters at single residences, unclear photographs on voter IDs, and misuse of Form 6, which is used for enrolling first-time voters.
Gandhi also accused the poll body of creating a “choreographed schedule” for state assembly elections in collaboration with the BJP and claimed that the ECI had refused to share digital versions of the voter rolls.
The Election Commission responded forcefully to Gandhi’s allegations, calling them an “absurd analysis” and urging the Congress leader to support his claims with a formal declaration under oath.
Indian media quoted ECI sources as saying, “If Rahul Gandhi believes in his analysis and believes that his allegations against the Election Commission of India are true, he should have no problem in signing the declaration. If he does not sign the declaration, it would mean that he does not believe in his analysis and the resultant conclusions and absurd allegations. In this case, he should apologise to the nation. He has two options.”
