Rahul Gandhi claims the Election Commission enabled voter list manipulation in Karnataka with “100% proof.” ECI hits back, urging him to wait for the High Court verdict.
New Delhi: Today, on July, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has made serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that the poll body allowed “cheating” in a constituency in Karnataka during the voter list revision process.
He claimed to have “100 per cent proof” of wrongdoing and warned the poll panel that they would not escape accountability.
In a strong statement to the media outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said,
“We just looked at one constituency and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency this is the drama that is taking place. Thousands and thousands of new voters, how old are they? — 45, 50, 60, 65, thousands and thousands of them in one constituency. This is one thing, voter deletion, voter addition, new voters who are way above 18 (is going on)… so we have caught them.”
He reiterated his claim of having solid proof, saying,
“Not 90 per cent, when we decide to show it to you, it is a 100 per cent proof.”
Gandhi further added,
“Today, we have 100 per cent proof of the Election Commission allowing cheating in a seat in Karnataka. When we decide to show it to you it is 100 per cent proof.”
Rahul Gandhi also sent out a stern warning to the Election Commission, stating,
“I want to send a message to the Election Commission — if you think you are going to get away with this, if your officers think they are going to get away with this, you are mistaken, you are not going to get away with this because we are going to come for you.”
These remarks were made in the context of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and allegations from opposition parties that the process was being used to selectively disenfranchise voters from marginalised communities.
Gandhi also criticised the Election Commission’s role in the democratic process, saying,
“I said this yesterday too; this is a very serious matter. The Election Commission is not functioning as the Election Commission of India. Today they made some statement; this is complete nonsense. The fact of the matter is that the Election Commission is not doing its job.”
During the media briefing, Gandhi also referred to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s comments, who suggested that a boycott of the Bihar Assembly elections was possible.
Gandhi said that his party had “concrete 100 per cent proof” of wrongdoing in Karnataka, further alleging widespread manipulation involving voter deletions and additions.
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In response to Gandhi’s serious accusations, sources from the Election Commission dismissed the claims as baseless. They questioned the timing and credibility of the allegations, pointing out that if there was genuine concern, an election petition should have been filed.
The poll body stated,
“If an election petition has been filed, then wait for the verdict of Hon’ble High Court. If not, then why make baseless allegations now?”
According to election laws, such petitions must be filed within 45 days of poll results, and the appropriate platform for adjudication is the High Court of the concerned state. The ECI’s statement hinted at due process, suggesting that the matter should be settled through legal means rather than public accusations.
Regarding the ongoing SIR in Bihar, the ECI has stated that more than 52 lakh voters were found to be not residing at their registered addresses during door-to-door verification.
This has triggered protests from opposition parties like Congress, DMK, and Samajwadi Party, who claim that the process is politically motivated and intended to affect upcoming elections.
Outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi joined other opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and DMK MP TR Baalu, in protests against the Election Commission.
The MPs held posters that read “SIR is the murder of democracy” and “Justice, Justice, Justice,” making their demands loud and clear.
The Election Commission has defended the revision process, asserting that it is being conducted to ensure the legitimacy of the electoral roll and remove ineligible entries.
In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the poll body affirmed its authority to verify citizenship and maintain the integrity of the voter list.
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The ECI pointed out that as per its SIR Order (Page 3, Para 7(5)),
“any elector or any recognised political party will get one month time from 1 Aug till 1 Sep to get the names of any eligible voter included, if left out by BLOs/BLAs or get the names of any voter excluded if wrongly included by BLOs/BLAs.”
Furthermore, the Election Commission posed a constitutional question to its critics, stating,
“The Constitution of India is the mother of Indian democracy. So, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, getting misled by some people, pave the way for some to cast fake votes in the name of deceased voters, voters who have migrated permanently, voters who have got their votes registered at two places, fake voters or foreign voters, going against the Constitution, first in Bihar, then in the entire country?”
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