Doubling down on his “vote theft” allegations, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the time will come when those involved in the alleged scam will be punished.
“Vote theft is not just an electoral scam, it is a grave betrayal of the Constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this—times will change, and punishment will surely be delivered,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
On Thursday, Gandhi had alleged that 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka to secure a win for the BJP.
Addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, he claimed there was “collusion” between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, which enabled Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure his third term.
“Narendra Modi became Prime Minister with a margin of just 25 seats… The Election Commission is helping the BJP destroy the electoral system in India. They are withholding data because of what we exposed in Mahadevapura; if similar scrutiny is applied to other Lok Sabha seats, the truth about our democracy will be revealed. This is the evidence—criminal evidence,” he said, pointing to a physical voter list.
He further accused the poll body of “destroying evidence” by limiting the preservation of CCTV and webcasting footage of the election process to only 45 days after completion, unless results are legally challenged.
Taking note of Gandhi’s claims of voter roll manipulation in Karnataka, the State Chief Electoral Officer has asked him to submit evidence under oath. Similarly, in connection with his allegations of “voter fraud” in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the state CEO has directed him to provide a sworn affidavit and specific proof of alleged inclusion or deletion of voters.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi dismissed Gandhi’s allegations, questioning why the Congress had not taken legal recourse. “There is no need to take him seriously. Why did the Congress party not file any objection or election petition? They selectively blame the Election Commission depending on the results,” (Agencies)
