Congress leader targets Election Commission over alleged irregularities in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Bihar voter lists
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has once again levelled sharp allegations against the Election Commission, accusing it of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate voter lists in past elections and allegedly preparing to repeat the exercise in Bihar later this year.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament on Tuesday, Gandhi claimed that voter fraud was carried out “at a national level, systematically” during the 2024 Karnataka Lok Sabha polls and the Maharashtra Assembly elections. “The Election Commission knows this… Earlier there was no proof. Now there is,” he said, adding, “Abhi picture baaki hai (there is more to come).”
Protest and detentions outside Parliament
Gandhi’s remarks came a day after a high-profile protest by opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc outside Parliament, demanding that the Election Commission provide machine-readable voter lists instead of scanned copies. The opposition argues that scanned lists make it almost impossible to identify and correct errors.
Delhi Police detained Gandhi along with 29 other opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav, and Sanjay Raut. While being taken away, Gandhi reiterated, “This fight is not political… it is to save the Constitution. The fight is for ‘one person, one vote’.”
Allegations backed by data presentations
Last week, Gandhi presented data at INDIA bloc meetings, claiming that in Karnataka’s Bengaluru Central constituency alone, 1.02 lakh illegal votes were cast, including 80 voters registered at the same small tenement in Mahadevapura. He alleged that these irregularities cost Congress the seat, which BJP’s PC Mohan won by 33,000 votes over Congress’ Mansoor Khan.
Similar accusations have been made regarding the Maharashtra Assembly election, with the opposition alleging that over one crore questionable entries appeared on the voter rolls months after the BJP-led alliance suffered losses in the Lok Sabha polls.
Bihar voter list revision in spotlight
The controversy has intensified ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, with the opposition challenging the Election Commission’s ‘special intensive revision’ of the state’s voter list in the Supreme Court.
EC and BJP’s sharp rebuttal
The Election Commission has dismissed the allegations, asserting that its procedures are transparent and aimed at ensuring fair elections. It has asked Gandhi to submit his claims in a signed affidavit along with supporting evidence. The BJP’s Amit Malviya also criticised Gandhi, urging him to provide names of ineligible voters “under oath” or face loss of credibility.