Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday delivered his sharpest criticism yet of the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of colluding with the BJP in alleged voter fraud and issuing a pointed warning.
“Think twice before attacking the Constitution. We will catch you, one by one. It will take time. But we will…,” Gandhi declared at an event in Bengaluru, underscoring his resolve to pursue what he claims is systematic vote manipulation.
The remarks came a day after he unveiled data alleging the theft of over 1.02 lakh votes in a single seat during last year’s Maharashtra Assembly election, which the BJP won months after the Congress-led INDIA bloc swept the state’s Lok Sabha polls.
Allegations of Widespread Electoral Manipulation
Gandhi claimed that before the Maharashtra Assembly election, one crore “new” voters were added to the rolls, suggesting deliberate manipulation. He said similar patterns were detected ahead of the Karnataka elections, which the Congress won, and alleged that duplicate voting was occurring in states like Uttar Pradesh as well.
“The Constitution gives the right to every person to vote… but in the last election, a question arose before us… in Maharashtra the INDIA bloc won the Lok Sabha election but, four months later, the BJP wins the Assembly poll… this was shocking,” Gandhi said.
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He challenged the ECI to provide complete electoral data, warning that his team could expand its investigations from one seat to “10-15 seats” if necessary. “You cannot hide. One day, you will have to face the opposition,” he added.
EC and BJP Hit Back
The Election Commission responded by demanding that Gandhi either furnish concrete evidence to support his allegations or withdraw them. BJP leader Amit Malviya dismissed the claims outright, accusing Gandhi of “political theatre” designed to “obfuscate facts, plant doubts in people’s minds, and tarnish the image of a constitutional body entrusted with free and fair elections.”
Gandhi’s escalating rhetoric suggests the Congress intends to keep electoral integrity at the forefront of its political campaign, setting the stage for a heated debate on the transparency of India’s voting process.
