Rahul alleges poll fraud, BJP-EC 'collusion'; BJP says 'calculated deceit'; EC asks for oath on claims

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that a probe disclosed massive voter fraud in a Karnataka Assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and accused the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling BJP to steal elections.

- AAISHA SABIR

NEW DELHI:

His allegations, made at a press briefing at the Congress headquarters, evoked a sharp response as the poll body dared Gandhi to take an oath and submit a declaration that he had found irregularities in the voter list or withdraw his "fabricated evidence". The BJP called the allegations "baseless" and said Gandhi has "lost his cool".

The reversal of the INDIA bloc's poll fortunes in the Maharashtra Assembly election just months after their strong show in the general election showed "something was not right", Gandhi said. The INDIA bloc, which won 30 out of 48 Maharashtra seats in the Lok Sabha polls last year, could not even cross the 50 mark in the state polls just five months later. "BJP does not suffer from anti-incumbency. Opinion polls suggested something, but the results were the opposite. Examples are Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. An ambience was created to explain the factors that led to the win: Ladli Behna, Pulwama, (Operation)

Sindoor, narrative creation,” Gandhi said.

He said the Election Commission’s “choreographed schedule” for Assembly polls deepened the suspicion. “In Maharashtra, more voters were added in five months than in five years. In the Lok Sabha (election), our alliance wins. We face a drubbing in the Assembly polls. One crore new voters cast their votes in the Assembly polls. The Election Commission cites brisk voting at 5.30 pm. Our booth agents say no such brisk voting happened. Maharashtra was the first time we saw something was wrong,” he said.

Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission, instead of answering the Opposition’s questions, evaded replies. He said the poll body refused to provide digital voter rolls for them to check.