Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government and the Election Commission of India, alleging that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were “rigged” to favour the ruling party.
"The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. The Prime Minister of India is in office with a very slim majority. If just 15 seats were rigged, he would not be Prime Minister today,” said Rahul Gandhi, speaking at the Annual Legal Conclave.
The senior Congress leader told the gathering of lawyers and legal experts that Congress would soon unveil explosive evidence to support its allegations. "We are going to prove to you in the coming few days how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged, and was rigged," he said.
Gandhi’s remarks come a day after he directly accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of enabling electoral fraud. "Votes are being stolen. We have open-and-shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in this vote theft," he told reporters. "I am not saying this lightly, I am speaking with 100% proof. When we release this evidence, the entire country will realise that the Election Commission is enabling vote theft. And who are they doing it for? They’re doing it for the BJP,” he added.
According to the LoP in the Lok Sabha, Congress carried out its own investigation into alleged voter fraud, after receiving no cooperation from the ECI. He described the findings as nothing short of an “atom bomb” that would “shake the very foundations” of the election body. "We had suspicions of voter theft and examined it in full detail. Since the Election Commission was not helpful in the investigation, we did it ourselves. It took six months. What we uncovered is an atom bomb. And when this atom bomb explodes, you won’t see the Election Commission in the country," Gandhi warned.
The Rae-Bareli MP issued a direct warning to officials within the Election Commission allegedly involved in electoral malpractice, stating that consequences would follow, regardless of their current or retired status. "Whoever in the Election Commission is involved, from top to bottom, we will not spare you. You are working against India, and this is no less than treason. Even if you are retired, we will find you," he said.
In a strongly worded response issued later in the day, the Election Commission of India dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s claims as “baseless and irresponsible.” “The Election Commission ignores such baseless allegations being made on a daily basis and, despite threats being given daily, asks all election officials to ignore such irresponsible statements while working impartially and transparently,” said the ECI in a statement. The ECI also clarified that it had sent official communication to Gandhi on 12 June, and that he had not raised any formal concerns through appropriate channels.
