EC Seeks Declaration From Rahul Over ‘Vote Stealing’ Allegations, BJP Leaders React

The Election Commission on Thursday asked Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi to provide names of electors allegedly added or deleted wrongfully, saying, “So that necessary proceedings can be initiated.” The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka formally requested Gandhi for a declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. 

Gandhi refused to file the declaration. “I am a politician. What I say to the people is my word. I am saying it publicly, take it as an oath,” he said. “Interestingly, they haven’t denied the information,” he added, as reported by PTI.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday furthered his criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate the voter rolls in Karnataka during the 2024 elections. Gandhi, citing an analysis of voter data in the Bangalore Central constituency, claimed a deliberate attempt was made to “steal” votes, and called it a “crime against the Constitution”, PTI reported.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Gandhi alleged, “There is a huge criminal fraud being perpetrated across the country by the Election Commission and the party in power.” He further claimed that the EC refused to provide machine-readable voter lists and CCTV footage, which he said was proof of a cover-up. “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.”

He also pointed to Maharashtra, alleging the state assembly elections, held in November 2024 and won decisively by the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, were stolen. Gandhi said, “Not giving voter list convinced us that the Election Commission colluded with BJP to 'steal' elections in Maharashtra.”

According to his party's data analysis, Gandhi claimed that in the Bangalore Central constituency, the Congress lost by 32,707 votes, despite winning six of the seven assembly segments. He attributed the loss to voter list manipulation, stating that Mahadevapura segment saw a differential of over 1.14 lakh votes.

The Congress plans to submit a memorandum on the issue at the EC office in Karnataka following its "Vote Adhikar Rally" on August 8 in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will address the rally.

BJP Reaction

The BJP rejected Gandhi’s allegations. BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “You (Gandhi) keep roaming across the country to get bail in defamation cases and you call somebody a fraud. I strongly condemn Rahul Gandhi for his utterances. His is irresponsible and does not know what to speak even about the constitutional body,” saying Gandhi has crossed all limits of shamlessness.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also responded saying, “The ideologically hollow Congress party is systematically attacking constitutional institutions. It cannot be ruled out that there is a larger conspiracy against India's democracy and Constitution behind this calculated deceit,” in a post on X.

Pradhan slammed Gandhi for adopting “double standards” on the poll outcomes. “This double standard will no longer work -- praising the Election Commission when victorious and calling it biased when defeated.” He added, “Rahul Gandhi needs to understand that his family’s victory is not the definition of democracy.”

Responding to Gandhi’s claim that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election was “stolen,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the allegation. “"I feel that, may be, he (Gandhi) should get his brain checked. Either his brain has been stolen or chip in his brain is missing. That is why he is making such statements often," said the Maharashtra Chief Minister at an event in Goa.

Fadnavis was referring to Gandhi’s assertion that refusal to share machine-readable voter lists during the Maharashtra elections was further proof of Election Commission complicity. The elections resulted in a landslide for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP won 132 seats, while its allies Shiv Sena and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) won 57 and 41 seats respectively.

In contrast, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won just 16 seats, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) won 20, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) won only 10.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra reacted to Gandhi's claims from earlier this day at a press conference. Patra said, "Rahul Gandhi threatened the officials of the Election Commission" saying that there will be serious consequences if he does not get an answer regarding his press conference.

He further also attacked Gandhi over his claims on the recent Operation Sindoor saying, "Rahul Gandhi said that Pulwama and Operation Sindoor were excuses to eliminate anti-incumbency. So what does this mean? Did India get itself attacked? And then put the entire responsibility on Pakistan? Is Rahul Gandhi saying that the attack on Pakistan was done only to eliminate the anti-incumbency wave and gain votes? Perhaps due to this thinking the Supreme Court had asked you (Rahul Gandhi) - Are you a true Indian?"

Congress Reactions:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, backing Gandhi’s claims, demanded Modi’s resignation. “Narendra Modi became Prime Minister by misusing the Election Commission, stealing votes, and abusing power. He has no moral right to stay in office. He must resign and dissolve the government immediately,” he said in a post on X.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed the call for action. “This ‘Vote Chori’ is happening strategically across many seats in the country. The Congress party will raise public awareness about this. The time has come to save democracy and the Constitution, to save the country,” he wrote on X.

He criticised the EC for failing in its duties, saying, “Earlier, the Election Commission was respected globally. Today, it acts like a representative of the ruling party.”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “Rahul Gandhi has presented this truth to the nation with solid evidence, showing how elections are being rigged to destroy democracy.”

Senior leader P Chidambaram added, “Rahul Gandhi has presented a formidable body of evidence… There can be no glib explanations. The ECI has much to answer.”

Randeep Singh Surjewala called the EC a “rigging machinery”. “The ECI no longer functions as a neutral referee. It is the Eraser Commission of India, a tool to erase voters, suppress voices, and destroy the foundation of free and fair elections,” he said, announcing a nationwide resistance campaign beginning from Karnataka.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) weighed in, alleging that AAP too was a victim of electoral manipulation in Delhi. “After the exposé by Rahul Gandhi, there is no other way left but a public revolt,” he told PTI.

“The exposé shows that people were registered at multiple booths and voted in different states. This renders elections useless,” Singh said. “A civil revolt is inevitable. People will come out on the streets against the EC and the government.”