New Delhi: Doubling down on his “vote theft” allegations, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said those involved in the “scam” would be punished, accusing the Election Commission of “treason” and claiming the poll body was aiding the BJP in manipulating voter rolls.
“Vote theft is not just an electoral scam, it is a major betrayal committed against the Constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this — times will change, punishment will surely be meted out,” Gandhi wrote in Hindi on X.
Vote Chori सिर्फ़ एक चुनावी घोटाला नहीं, ये संविधान और लोकतंत्र के साथ किया गया बड़ा धोखा है।
देश के गुनहगार सुन लें – वक़्त बदलेगा, सज़ा ज़रूर मिलेगी। pic.twitter.com/tR7wh589fN
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 8, 2025
Citing alleged irregularities in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka, Gandhi also pointed to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Bihar ahead of the October-November state elections. He claimed the exercise was “institutional theft” designed to help the BJP by “recasting” the electoral rolls.
His remarks came a day after a livecast presentation in which he accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to secure Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency to ensure a BJP win.
“Modi became Prime Minister with just a margin of 25 seats,” Gandhi said at the Congress headquarters in Delhi. “The Election Commission is helping BJP destroy the electoral system. They are not giving us the data because if we apply the same scrutiny to other constituencies, the truth about our democracy will come out.”
He further accused the EC of “destroying evidence” by limiting the preservation of CCTV and webcasting footage of the election process to 45 days unless results are legally challenged.
The State Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka has asked Gandhi to submit his evidence under oath regarding the alleged Mahadevapura voter roll manipulation. Maharashtra’s CEO has also sought a sworn affidavit and specific proof for Gandhi’s claims of voter fraud in the 2024 state Assembly elections.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi dismissed Gandhi’s charges, questioning why the Congress had not pursued legal remedies. “There is no need to take him seriously. Why did the Congress party not file any objection? Why did he not file any election petition?” Joshi told newswire ANI, accusing the party of selectively targeting the EC based on electoral outcomes.
