Rahul Gandhi on vote rigging
Is Rahul right in accusing the EC of helping BJP steal elections? | Capital Beat
The Leader of Opposition accuses the poll panel of colluding with the BJP to rig elections. Will the judiciary act on his explosive allegations?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has levelled explosive allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming systematic electoral manipulation in Karnataka's Mahadevapura Assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Rahul presented detailed evidence alleging 1 lakh fraudulent votes through duplicate registrations, invalid addresses, and misuse of voter forms. The ECI dismissed the claims, demanding signed evidence, while Opposition leaders called for nationwide protests. In a Capital Beat discussion, data scientist Dr Pyare Lal Garg and Supreme Court lawyer Mehmood Pracha analysed the Congress leader’s serious charges and their impact on national politics.
The Mahadevapura vote fraud exposé
During a high-voltage press conference, Rahul Gandhi unveiled a granular analysis of electoral irregularities in Bangalore Central's Mahadevapura constituency, where Congress lost by 1,14,000 votes despite winning six other segments in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The investigation, conducted over six months, identified five categories of alleged fraud:
Duplicate voters (11,965 cases)
Example: Gurkirat Singh Dang registered four times across booths 116, 124, 125, and 126 with identical father/house details.
Rahul asserted: "One person voting 5-6 times is institutionalised rigging."
Fake/invalid addresses (40,009 cases)
Non-existent locations like "RHA Colony" (240 voters) found in the Meerut-style pattern.
Single-bedroom homes listing 50+ voters.
Bulk registrations (10,452 cases)
Dozens of voters tied to single addresses.
Invalid photos (4,132 cases)
Blurred or microscopic images preventing identification.
Form 6 misuse (33,692 cases)
Fraudulent new voter registrations bypassing age/eligibility checks.
"This isn't an error - it's a well-designed vote theft ecosystem," Rahul emphasised, displaying electoral roll excerpts.
Election Commission's defiant response
The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer challenged Rahul to submit a sworn affidavit, calling his claims "unsubstantiated allegations." ECI sources retorted: "Either provide signed proof or stop misleading the public."
Dr Garg countered: "Why would the ECI hide digital voter lists if transparent? Their refusal confirms institutional collusion." He cited identical patterns in Bihar's SIR (94 lakh dubious deletions) and Maharashtra (1 crore inflated voters).
Legal and political firestorm
1. Judicial roadblocks
Mehmood Pracha revealed that his December 2024 police complaint on similar fraud went uninvestigated.
Section 58A of the RP Act allows poll cancellation, but "ECI won't act against itself," noted Pracha.
2. Opposition's strategy
The INDIA bloc has three tactical options:
FIRs in Congress-ruled states (Karnataka/Kerala) to force probes.
Mass protests demanding ECI accountability.
Election petitions in 90+ Maharashtra and 20+ Haryana seats.
AAP's Sanjay Singh escalated demands: "Cancel all rigged elections - democracy is meaningless now."
Data patterns confirm nationwide fraud
Dr. Garg's forensic analysis showed:
Bihar 2024: 65 lakh "illegal voters" admitted by ECI in SIR.
Delhi: 40,000 voters vanished from New Delhi constituency rolls.
Maharashtra: 9.7 crore voters registered against 8.29 crore eligible population.
"This isn't Karnataka-specific - it's BJP's national playbook," asserted Dr Garg, sharing documents showing Bihar homes with 53+ registered voters.
Machinery of manipulation
1. Administrative complicity
BLOs/AEROs: Allegedly appointed via RSS networks to enable fraud.
Form 6 exploitation: Fake youth registrations bypassing scrutiny.
2. Judicial paralysis
Supreme Court's "true Indian" remark on Rahul politicised the issue.
Pracha warned: "Courts delay election petitions deliberately. People must hit the streets."
Road ahead: Protest or paralysis?
With the ECI refusing introspection, panelists outlined two scenarios:
1. Escalated agitation
Rahul hinted at "decisive action" post-INDIA bloc consultations.
Pracha urged: "Opposition must paralyse cities like farmers' protests."
2. Electoral boycott threat
Dr. Garg cautioned: "Without mass mobilisation, EVM-based fraud will recur."
Historical precedent: 1977 Opposition united against Emergency-era rigging.
Global implications
As international media picks up the story, questions arise:
Can India's democracy withstand institutionalised election engineering?
Will the ECI's credibility survive bipartisan condemnation?
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