Rahul Gandhi Brands ECI “Vote Theft Protector” Amid Allegations
Gandhi accuses poll body of shielding electoral fraud.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his assault on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, branding it the "chunaav ka chawkidaar" that "stayed awake, watched the theft, and protected the thieves" in a blistering critique of alleged voter manipulation. Doubling down on his Thursday accusations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi claimed the ECI is complicit in shielding "vote chors" who undermine democracy, citing systematic voter deletions and fraudulent additions across multiple states.
In a fiery Hindi post on X, Gandhi mocked the ECI’s inaction: "Wake up at 4 a.m., eliminate two voters in 36 seconds, then go back to sleep—that’s how vote theft happens!" He shared a 36-second video from his press conference at Congress’ Indira Bhawan, detailing the alleged modus operandi. Gandhi pointed to 6,018 attempted vote deletions in Karnataka’s Aland constituency before the 2023 assembly polls and 6,850 “fake” voters added in Maharashtra’s Rajura via automated software, claiming the same system operated in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
The ECI dismissed Gandhi’s charges as “incorrect and baseless,” clarifying that no public member can delete votes online and that Karnataka’s CEO shared all relevant data—IP addresses, OTP trails, and objector details—with Kalaburagi police on September 6, 2023. Undeterred, Gandhi demanded the ECI release evidence to Karnataka’s CID within a week, warning that failure would confirm its role in the “murder of the Constitution.” He teased a forthcoming “hydrogen bomb” revelation, keeping speculation rife.
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Gandhi’s salvo, backed by a call to the nation’s youth to defend democracy, has sparked a fierce political row. Opposition leaders rally behind his demand for transparency, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra and the ECI decry the allegations as post-election deflection. As the CID probe deepens, Gandhi’s relentless pressure on the ECI signals a high-stakes battle over India’s electoral integrity.
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