Demands Machine-Readable Electoral Rolls; Cites “100% Proof” of Voter List Manipulation in BJP-Won Seat
📰 By Economy India Political Desk
New Delhi : Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has ignited a major political controversy, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of complicity in massive electoral fraud. At a press conference on Thursday, Gandhi unveiled what he called “irrefutable data evidence” of manipulated voter rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly segment, which allegedly swung the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat in BJP’s favor during the 2024 elections.
📈 Key Allegations: Vote Theft by the Numbers
Rahul Gandhi released a comprehensive breakdown of what he claims is concrete proof of electoral manipulation. The findings include:
- 🗳️ 1,00,250 stolen votes
- 🔁 11,965 duplicate voter entries
- 🏠 40,009 fake residential addresses
- 🧑🤝🧑 10,452 voters registered under the same address
- 📸 4,132 voter IDs with fake photographs
- ✍️ 33,692 names added fraudulently via Form-6
🗣️ “This isn’t speculation anymore. We have solid, verifiable data. The BJP manipulated the voter list, and the Election Commission stood by,” Gandhi said.
⚠️ Alleged Electoral Fraud in Bangalore Central
Gandhi pointed out that BJP trailed in six of the seven assembly segments in Bangalore Central but still won the parliamentary seat by 32,707 votes, attributing the win to “fraudulent additions in Mahadevapura.”
He highlighted a case where a voter named Aditya Srivastava appeared on voter rolls at four separate addresses.
🛑 Demand to Election Commission: Make Voter Rolls Public
The Congress leader demanded the immediate release of machine-readable voter lists and CCTV footage from polling booths, stating:
🗣️ “This is not just my party’s demand. It is the demand of every Indian who believes in democracy. We want the truth out, not just slogans.”
Gandhi claimed that the same pattern of “voter theft” has been replicated across 25 to 30 Lok Sabha seats — seats he says were decisive in BJP’s victory.
🧨 The ‘Electoral Bombshell’ Explained
This revelation follows Gandhi’s August 1 teaser where he warned the EC of an upcoming “electoral bomb” that would expose how India’s democratic process is being subverted.
🗣️ “The Election Commission is not a neutral umpire anymore — it’s playing for one team. They have no place to hide now,” he added.
🛡️ Election Commission Responds: ‘Baseless & Defamatory’
In a quick rebuttal, the Election Commission rejected Gandhi’s charges, calling them “malicious, misleading and defamatory.” The EC accused the Congress leader of trying to undermine public confidence in India’s electoral system.
🌐 Context: Earlier Discrepancies & National Impact
Gandhi cited similar voter anomalies in Maharashtra and Haryana in past elections, where post-poll voter list changes allegedly shifted the results.
He added that over 1 crore (10 million) new voters were added in Maharashtra alone after the Lok Sabha election, questioning the logic and transparency behind such large-scale additions.
📌 What’s Next?
Gandhi promised that more evidence would be released constituency by constituency, and called for joint opposition pressure on the EC.
With national elections approaching, this explosive allegation has set the stage for a larger political and legal confrontation over the integrity of India’s electoral machinery.
(Economy India)
