New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to manipulate the 2024 general elections, calling it a “crime against the Constitution.” Speaking at a press conference at the AICC headquarters, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed his party had gathered “concrete evidence of vote theft” over a six-month investigation.
Gandhi demanded that the Election Commission release machine-readable voter data from the past 10–15 years, along with CCTV footage from polling stations. “If the EC refuses to provide this data, it is complicit in the crime,” he said. He urged the judiciary to intervene, warning that India’s democracy is under threat.
Using an online presentation, Gandhi showcased an analysis of voter data from Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency and its Mahadevapura Assembly segment. He noted that while Congress secured 6,26,208 votes across the constituency, the BJP received 6,58,915—winning by a margin of 32,707 votes. Despite Congress winning six out of seven assembly segments, it suffered a massive defeat in Mahadevapura, losing by over 1,14,000 votes.
Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 votes were fraudulently manipulated in the constituency. He cited:
11,965 duplicate voters in one assembly segment
40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses
10,452 bulk voters registered at single addresses
4,132 voters with invalid photographs
33,692 voters added through misuse of Form 6 for new registrations
He claimed such irregularities are widespread across India, describing them as a “crime against the Indian Constitution and the national flag.” Gandhi reminded the Election Commission of its duty to safeguard the integrity of elections.
He further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained power with a narrow majority, stating that the BJP won 25 Lok Sabha seats with margins under 33,000 votes. “Only 25 seats needed to be stolen to stay in power,” he said.
Gandhi emphasized the foundational principle of “one person, one vote,” questioning whether legitimate voters were being allowed to vote and whether fake entries were being added to the rolls. “There’s growing public suspicion. Anti-incumbency affects every party—except the BJP, which seems immune in a democratic setup,” he remarked.
He criticized the prolonged and staggered nature of elections, claiming they are now “choreographed” events. “Earlier, with minimal technology, elections were held simultaneously across the country. Now, they stretch for months,” he said.
Gandhi concluded by alleging that the EC is actively trying to “destroy” evidence of vote manipulation nationwide. “Refusing to share machine-readable voter lists and blocking access to CCTV footage—by changing the law—convinced us that the EC is working with the BJP to rig elections,” he asserted.
