Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the BJP won the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat in 2024 through “massive voter list manipulation,” claiming the same “model” was used across India to deny victories to the Congress and other opposition parties. He based his claims on an analysis of data sourced from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The ECI, in a swift response, asked Gandhi to sign a declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and submit it to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka “this evening itself so that necessary proceedings can be initiated”. It warned that if he failed to do so, he should stop drawing “absurd conclusions and misleading the citizens of India”.
Rahul, during a press conference, claimed that despite Congress leading in seven of the eight assembly segments in Bangalore Central—except Mahadevapura—it lost the parliamentary seat by 32,707 votes. He attributed the loss to alleged voter list tampering in Mahadevapura, where BJP led by 1,14,046 votes.
According to the Congress’s data analysis, 1,00,250 entries in Mahadevapura’s voter list were manipulated. “I think the judiciary needs to get involved in this, and we need to understand that what we love so much, our democracy, doesn’t exist. What is the difference between us and other places? It’s democracy. It’s gone if this is true…I am telling you that this election was lost simply because of this manipulation of the voter list,” Rahul said.
He said the ECI’s refusal to provide machine-readable electronic voter data was impeding the party’s ability to audit past and recent elections. “They are partaking in the crime,” he said, if the ECI withholds this data.ECI
He further warned polling officials: “The ECI has to give the people of India this information. If they don’t, there will be consequences for every polling officer—it does not matter how senior or junior you are—involved in this. One day, the Opposition is going to come to power, and you will see what we do to you. Because you are attacking the foundation of what our founding fathers built, and we are not going to allow you, no matter who you are.”
According to the party’s findings, of the 1,00,250 allegedly manipulated entries, 11,965 were duplicate voters, 40,009 had fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 were bulk voters with similar addresses, 4,132 had invalid photos, and 33,962 names were added using Form 6—intended for new voters.
Rahul displayed photographs showing 68 voters registered under a brewery address, 80 listed under a single room, and individuals aged 70 or 80 enrolling via Form 6. One woman, Shakuni Rani, allegedly voted twice after registering twice in two months.
“I want the nation to know that there is a huge criminal fraud being perpetrated on this country,” he said. “It is a crime against the Indian Constitution, the Indian flag.”
Responding to the ECI’s statement, Gandhi said, “Take it as an oath. This is Election Commission data. They haven’t denied the information.” He asserted that as long as voter rolls and the ECI remain “compromised,” debates over EVMs versus paper ballots are meaningless.
“This is carried out strategically. The point is not whether the BJP is winning or the Congress is losing—the point is that there is 100 percent proof that elections are rigged in India,” he said.
(With inputs from theprint.in)