The Congress party has launched a blistering counterattack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of colluding with the Election Commission (EC) to manipulate voter lists and demanding that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections be declared “null and void” due to widespread use of “fake voter lists.” The explosive allegations come in response to BJP claims of irregularities in opposition strongholds, escalating a fierce political battle over the integrity of India’s electoral process.

Congress leader Pawan Khera, head of the party’s media and publicity department, challenged the BJP’s accusations that opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Abhishek Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav, won seats in Rae Bareli, Wayanad, Diamond Harbour, and Kannauj through “vote chori” (vote theft). The BJP’s former Union Minister Anurag Thakur presented a slide-show analysis at the party headquarters, alleging voter registration irregularities in these constituencies, as well as in Tamil Nadu’s Kolathur Assembly seat and Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, calling for resignations from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav.

Khera hit back, questioning how Thakur accessed detailed voter data for multiple constituencies overnight when Congress struggled for six months to compile data for a single Vidhan Sabha. “This shows how deeply aligned BJP leaders are with the EC,” Khera told PTI Videos, labeling Thakur’s data as “evidence of a crime.” He demanded that the BJP share this evidence within 24 hours and release the electronic voter list for Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi won by a narrow margin, to verify the legitimacy of his victory. “People deserve to know whether he truly won,” Khera asserted.

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The Congress alleges that the entire 2024 general election was conducted on “fake voter lists,” a claim echoed by other opposition parties like the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Khera pointed out that Thakur’s data release, covering five to six constituencies, dwarfs Congress’s earlier report of irregularities in just 50 booths, suggesting systemic manipulation. “This proves, by his own action, that the election was held on a fake voter list,” Khera said, reiterating the demand to invalidate the 2024 polls.

Thakur dismissed the opposition’s accusations, accusing Congress, TMC, SP, and DMK of orchestrating a “vicious propaganda” against the EC’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, with plans to expand it to other states. He claimed the opposition is protecting “illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators” and other “intruders” to preserve their vote banks, saying, “Chor machaye shor” (the thief cries foul). Thakur questioned why opposition leaders allegedly relied on fake voters and demanded their resignations for engaging in “vote chori.”

The controversy has intensified scrutiny on the EC, with opposition parties, including Congress, alleging selective targeting of non-BJP states like Bihar and West Bengal. Reports of voters being wrongly declared “dead” or removed from rolls, as seen in Bihar, have fueled claims of disenfranchisement. Congress has announced a ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ starting August 17, led by Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc leaders, to protest these irregularities. As the debate rages, the call to nullify the 2024 elections underscores deep concerns about India’s democratic processes, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown.

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