"EC Dismisses Rahul Gandhi's Allegations of Voter Fraud: Demands Signature or Apology"
In a recent press conference, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, accused large-scale voter fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka's Bangalore Central constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He claimed over 1 lakh fake votes were added favouring the BJP, presenting evidence such as around 80 voters registered at a single small rented room, which he termed "vote chori" (vote theft). However, the owner of that property denied these claims, explaining that the tenants were temporary migrant labourers who used the address for voter ID cards but did not vote from there. He accused Gandhi of confusion on this point.
The Karnataka State Election Commission asked Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit to substantiate his allegations and questioned why the Congress party had not filed a formal complaint. The Election Commission subsequently rejected Gandhi's claims as "false and misleading," explaining that it does not share electoral rolls in machine-readable formats to protect privacy and comply with legal standards. Meanwhile, the BJP dismissed the allegations as political theatrics, urging Congress to pursue legal channels instead of making unsubstantiated claims.
Rahul Gandhi's accusation stems in part from a 2022 controversy involving the Chilume Group, a private firm contracted by the Bangalore municipal corporation (BBMP) to gather voter data in Mahadevapura and other seats, which Congress alleged was linked with BJP attempts to manipulate voter lists through fraudulent additions and deletions. Gandhi insists electoral rolls contain large numbers of "fake" or invalid addresses, particularly impacting migrant-heavy constituencies like Mahadevapura.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has dismissed these allegations, stating that Rahul Gandhi was merely repeating an old script. The poll body supplied a copy of the rectified electoral rolls to the Congress party and reminded that the law provides a specific procedure for making objections to the roll and for making appeals, which should be followed. If Rahul Gandhi believes in his analysis and allegations against the ECI, he should respect the law and sign a Declaration or apologize to the Nation, according to the ECI.
This is not the first time such allegations have been made. In 2018, Kamal Nath, then President of MPCC, made similar allegations, according to the ECI. The ECI responded to Gandhi's claims of irregularities in electoral rolls by stating that Gandhi was repeating an old script. The ECI has not acknowledged any electoral fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka's Bangalore Central constituency. The defects in the electoral rolls, which were highlighted by Kamal Nath in 2018, were rectified around 4 months ago.
The ECI has not made any apology to the nation for Rahul Gandhi's claims of electoral fraud. The ECI accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to sensationalize the matter by making baseless claims in the media. In 2018, Kamal Nath, then President of MPCC, attempted to mislead the Supreme Court by producing documents from a private website to demonstrate electoral roll irregularities. Today, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, is playing the same tune, as noted by the ECI.
In conclusion, Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of significant voter fraud in Mahadevapura have triggered political and official scrutiny but remain unproven and disputed. The Election Commission refutes the allegations and demands proper evidence, property owners and local actors question the validity of Gandhi’s claims, and BJP rejects the accusations as baseless political posturing.
- The ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged voter fraud in Mahadevapura Assembly segment involves policy-and-legislation, as Rahul Gandhi's accusations sparked a debate about the integrity of electoral rolls and voting processes.
- The politics surrounding this issue is further highlighted by the Election Commission of India's rejection of allegations, along with BJP's dismissal as political theatrics, and the Congress party's insistence on the existence of "fake" or invalid addresses in electoral rolls.
