Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in what he terms “institutionalised chori” to manipulate electoral rolls and steal elections, particularly targeting the poor’s voting rights. In a video released on his YouTube channel on Friday, Gandhi claimed the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar is a response to Congress uncovering evidence of voter fraud.

Focusing on the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka’s Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat, Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 votes were “stolen” in the 2024 elections through five manipulation tactics: 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 fake or invalid addresses (e.g., ‘House Number 0’), 10,452 bulk voters at single addresses (e.g., 80 voters at ‘House Number 35’), 4,132 invalid photos, and 33,692 misuses of Form 6, meant for first-time voters, citing a 70-year-old woman registered twice. He claimed such fraud likely occurred in over 100 constituencies, potentially altering the 2024 Lok Sabha outcome, where the BJP won 25 seats by margins under 33,000 votes.

Gandhi, drawing on his 20-year political experience, said suspicions arose from inconsistent election results in states like Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where public sentiment during campaigns, like the Bharat Jodo Yatra, clashed with outcomes. He alleged the EC’s refusal to provide machine-readable voter lists and CCTV footage fuels doubts, forcing Congress to manually analyze physical data. “This is treason against the country,” Gandhi warned, threatening accountability for EC officials.

Also Read: BJP Condems Rahul Gandhi’s Poll Fraud Allegations as Conspiracy Against Democracy

The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer responded, demanding Gandhi submit a sworn declaration and names of dubious electors for investigation, with similar requests from Maharashtra and Haryana. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the claims, suggesting Gandhi “get his brain checked.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge backed Gandhi, calling for action to save democracy.

Also Read: Fadnavis Dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s Maharashtra Election Fraud Claims