Rahul Gandhi Accuses EC of Voter Irregularities; Election Commission Seeks Proof

Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of enabling voter fraud in Karnataka and Maharashtra. He claimed these irregularities gave the BJP an unfair edge during the polls.

In a press briefing, he highlighted Mahadevapura in Karnataka, where he alleged over one lakh fake voters appeared. Additionally, he cited a sudden rise of over one crore voters in Maharashtra as suspicious.

Congress Lists Five Key Irregularities

According to Gandhi, the voter rolls show five major flaws. These include duplicate entries, invalid or fake addresses, missing or poor-quality photographs, large numbers of voters at a single address, and the misuse of Form 6 for new registrations.

Furthermore, he said his team gathered all this data from the Election Commission’s own public records. He questioned why the EC had not acted on such clear signs of manipulation.

Election Commission Seeks Formal Declaration

In response, the Election Commission quickly contacted Gandhi. Officials from both Karnataka and Maharashtra asked him to submit a signed declaration under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

They also requested that he provide specific names of voters he claimed were wrongly included or excluded. Only then, the Commission stated, could formal proceedings begin.

Gandhi Insists He Already Took an Oath

Despite the EC’s demand, Gandhi stood by his remarks. He asserted that his public statement was made in full view and under his responsibility as a Member of Parliament.

Moreover, he pointed out that the Commission had not denied the authenticity of the data he used. He urged the EC to answer the questions instead of deflecting.

Congress Plans Street-Level Campaigns

Meanwhile, the Congress party has planned protests in Bengaluru. Rahul Gandhi will personally lead a demonstration focusing on alleged voter fraud in the Mahadevapura assembly segment.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also weighed in. He accused the Election Commission of acting like a representative of the ruling party. To increase public awareness, the party will begin a voter education drive.

BJP Dismisses the Allegations

The BJP firmly rejected all of Gandhi’s claims. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ridiculed him, saying that a “chip is missing” from his brain.

Other party leaders challenged Gandhi to take his claims to court. According to them, he has no evidence and is trying to shift focus from Congress’s own electoral losses.

Both BJP and Congress have scheduled rallies in Bengaluru in the coming days. Political tension is mounting as public accusations continue from both sides.

So far, the Election Commission has not launched a formal investigation. It awaits further documentation from Gandhi as per the legal requirements.