'Incorrect, Baseless': Election Commission Junks Rahul Gandhi's Allegations Against Chief Election Commissioner

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a strong attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, he alleged that people inside the ECI were helping him uncover voter fraud. Rahul Gandhi claimed, "We have started getting help from inside the Election Commission. This was not happening before, but now we are getting information from inside the Election Commission, and this is not going to stop." He warned that young people in India would not accept“vote theft” once they realised the extent of the problem.

Election Commission's response

The Election Commission strongly rejected the allegations. In a tweet, after Rahul Gandhi's remarks, the poll panel described his claims as 'incorrect and baseless'. The ECI asked Rahul Gandhi to sign an affidavit and submit concrete proof to support his charges. Officials also addressed questions related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and other states. The Commission maintained that all voter list revisions are carried out transparently and under strict rules.

Election Commission of India wrote on X,“Allegations made by Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi are incorrect and baseless. No Deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person. In 2023, certain unsuccessful attempts were made for the deletion of electors in the Aland Assembly Constituency and an FIR was filed by the authority of ECI itself to investigate the matter. As per records, Aland Assembly Constituency was won by Subhadh Guttedar (BJP) in 2018 and BR Patil (INC) in 2023”

Accusations against Gyanesh Kumar

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha directly named Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He alleged that Kumar was 'protecting vote chors' (vote thieves) and was fully aware of how fraudulent voter deletions and additions were being carried out.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that communities who usually vote for the Opposition, including Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis, and minorities, were being specifically targeted for deletions across India.“I am not going to say anything on this stage that is not backed up by 100 per cent proof. I love my country, Constitution, and the democratic process, and I am protecting it,” he said.

Karnataka voter deletion claims

Rahul Gandhi focused on Karnataka, where he claimed voter fraud was caught by coincidence in the Aland Assembly constituency. He alleged that about 6,018 votes had been fraudulently deleted in 2023. According to him, unknown people used software to impersonate real voters and delete their names from the list. He said the scam was discovered only because a Booth Level Officer noticed her own uncle's name had been deleted.

Rahul Gandhi also repeated earlier allegations that similar voter fraud had taken place in the Mahadevpura Assembly segment of Karnataka.

Wider claims of fraud

The Congress leader claimed that voter fraud was not limited to Karnataka. He alleged that fake voter deletions and additions were carried out in the Maharashtra Assembly elections and in several other constituencies across India.

"In election after election, some group has been systematically targeting Opposition voters. We now have 100 per cent proof of this," he told reporters.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have often accused the Election Commission of working in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They allege collusion in voter roll manipulations.

The BJP has consistently dismissed these charges, saying the allegations are a tactic to question democratic institutions without evidence.

(With ANI inputs)

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