Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi told the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday that the party should continue its opposition and resistance over what he described as alleged irregularities involving electronic voting machines and voter lists. Speaking at the CWC meeting at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Gandhi alleged that elections were being “match-fixed” through EVMs and voter lists and called for the party to continue its campaign from the streets to Parliament, according to sources.

During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Gandhi referred to the Congress' earlier campaign over what the party calls “vote chori” and said it had raised concerns about alleged irregularities in elections in Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. He said the issue had initially faced scepticism but was now receiving attention in the media and editorials. According to sources, Gandhi attributed the change in public discussion to presentations and claims made by the Congress.

Gandhi outlined what he described as two forms of electoral “match-fixing” — one involving EVMs and the other involving alleged deliberate changes to voter lists. He also alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha election was “completely fixed and rigged”. He further questioned the legality of legislation passed in December 2023 that provided immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, according to people familiar with his remarks at the meeting.

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The Congress leader urged party members not to move away from what he described as the paths of “virodh” or opposition and “pratirodh” or resistance. He referred to the Congress session held in Lahore in 1930, saying the party at that time had chosen the path of “Purna Swaraj” after the British government denied provincial autonomy. Drawing a parallel with the present political situation, Gandhi said parties committed to democracy should continue to resist when they believe public concerns are not being addressed.

The CWC meeting also came amid the Congress' demands for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), restoration of more than 13 crore names allegedly removed from electoral rolls and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resignation over the party's allegations concerning the electoral process. The meeting followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over SIR-related decisions and orders during the preceding 10 months.

The Election Commission has responded to concerns over differing views among its commissioners by maintaining that variations in internal deliberations are normal within institutions. The poll panel has also said that its orders carry full legal sanction and are issued in accordance with established statutory procedures. The developments have kept the debate over electoral rolls, the SIR process and the functioning of the Election Commission at the centre of the Congress' current political campaign.

Also Read: CWC Inside Story: Banter, Barbs and a Push to Take SIR Fight to the Streets