Demonstrators in Mumbai criticize the Election Commission of India and Devendra Fadnavis over allegations of vote tampering.
The Maharashtra Congress staged a protest in Mumbai on Friday against the Election Commission of India (ECI) due to alleged failures by the ECI to take corrective measures over faulty voter lists that included thousands of bogus names. This protest followed disclosures by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Parliament regarding electoral fraud and voter list manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Background
Rahul Gandhi accused the ECI of colluding with the ruling BJP to enable "vote theft," particularly citing irregularities in voter lists that favored the BJP during the elections, notably in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other states. The Congress party claimed that despite electoral fraud evidence and legal objections filed in high courts during elections, the ECI remained largely passive and failed to conduct a thorough investigation beyond setting up a special investigation team, which the Congress argued was insufficient.
Congress Protest and Demands
On August 8, 2025, Congress workers led by Maharashtra state president Harshadwardhan Sapkal staged massive demonstrations in Mumbai, including road blockades and sloganeering near the Congress office. The protest criticized the ECI and the BJP for negligence and demanded stronger judicial-led investigations, such as a SIT headed by a Supreme Court sitting judge, which the Congress said did not materialize.
Response from ECI and BJP
The Election Commission of India promptly dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations of rigging and voter fraud as baseless. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused Congress of engaging in vote-bank politics by exploiting the voter list revision issue to bolster its electoral base, especially by allegedly including infiltrators to manipulate votes. BJP leaders condemned Rahul Gandhi for using "uncivilized" language against a constitutional body and accused Congress of trying to spread anarchy and distrust in the electoral system.
Future Actions
Sapkal accused Fadnavis of failing to uphold the dignity of the chief minister's post in Maharashtra. Evidence of electoral fraud, according to Mr. Sapkal, had been submitted to the ECI at the time. The Maharashtra Congress announced plans to intensify its agitation in the coming weeks, with statewide rallies, marches, and yatras to protest alleged voter fraud and to demand accountability from the ECI.
The protest led to significant traffic disruptions and protesters raised slogans targeting both the ECI and the BJP-led NDA government. The situation reflects deep political tensions over election integrity in India ahead of future electoral contests.
- The ongoing political tensions in India, stemming from allegations of electoral fraud and voter list manipulation by the Congress party, have sparked heated debates in the realm of politics, general news, and crime-and-justice.
- The Congress party's protests against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over faulty voter lists and allegations of collusion with the ruling BJP have prompted a response from policy-and-legislation makers, as the demands for stronger judicial-led investigations have implications for future war-and-conflicts and the integrity of elections in the country.
