Rahul Gandhi Alleges Massive Electoral Fraud, Accuses Election Commission of Colluding with BJP..
New Delhi, August 7, 2025 – In a fiery press conference held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of facilitating large-scale voter fraud in collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Presenting what he described as “concrete evidence” of electoral malpractice, Gandhi alleged that over 1 lakh fake voters were added to the electoral rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly segment, contributing to the BJP’s victory in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat during the 2024 elections. He also raised concerns about the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the lack of transparency in voter list data.
Evidence of Fake Voters: No Name, No Proper Address, Different Photos
Gandhi claimed that the Congress party conducted a six-month investigation into the voter lists of Mahadevapura, uncovering 1,00,250 fraudulent votes. He detailed five categories of irregularities, supported by documents and electoral roll data:
Duplicate Voters: Gandhi cited 11,965 cases of duplicate voter entries, including individuals registered multiple times across different polling booths. He highlighted the case of Gurkirat Singh Dang, whose name appeared four times in different booths within the same constituency, and others registered in multiple states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Fake and Invalid Addresses: The Congress investigation found 40,009 voters listed with either non-existent addresses, placeholder entries like “0” or “—”, or unverifiable locations. Gandhi pointed to commercial establishments, such as a Bengaluru brewery named Biere Club, where 68 voters were registered, and single-room homes listed as residences for dozens of voters from different families.
Bulk Voters at Single Addresses: Approximately 10,452 voters were registered at single addresses, with no verifiable presence. Gandhi shared instances where small residences, like a single-room house, were recorded as the address for up to 80 voters, none of whom were found during physical verification attempts.
Invalid Photos on Voter IDs: The Congress leader presented evidence of 4,132 voters with invalid or mismatched photos on their voter IDs. He cited the case of a 70-year-old woman, Shakun Rani, who was registered twice within two months with different photo entries, allowing her to vote twice.
Misuse of Form 6: Gandhi alleged that 33,692 voters misused Form 6, meant for new voter registrations, to add fake entries to the rolls. He claimed this was done with manipulated names and addresses to bypass scrutiny.
Gandhi displayed a seven-foot stack of printed electoral rolls during the press conference, emphasizing the scale of the alleged fraud. He accused the ECI of deliberately providing non-machine-readable voter lists to obstruct digital analysis, claiming it took Congress months to manually verify the data. “This is a crime against the Indian Constitution and the Indian flag,” he declared.
EVM Concerns and Lack of Transparency
Gandhi also raised suspicions about the integrity of EVMs, alleging that the ECI’s refusal to provide CCTV footage from polling booths and machine-readable voter lists suggested an intent to “destroy evidence” of vote theft. He claimed that the ECI changed rules to restrict access to polling booth footage, further fueling doubts about the electoral process. “The Election Commission is not in the business of protecting democracy anymore; they’re helping dismantle it,” Gandhi asserted.
He pointed to discrepancies in voter turnout data, particularly a sudden surge in voting after 5 p.m. in some constituencies, and argued that the lack of transparency in EVM operations and voter list management raised serious questions about the fairness of elections. Gandhi suggested that the judiciary should intervene to protect the democratic principle of “one person, one vote.”
Broader Allegations Across States
While focusing on Mahadevapura, where the BJP secured a lead of over 1.14 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi claimed similar manipulations occurred in Maharashtra and Haryana. He noted that in Maharashtra, more voters were added in five months than in five years, and in Haryana, the Congress lost eight Assembly seats by a combined margin of just 22,779 votes. Gandhi argued that the BJP’s ability to avoid anti-incumbency, unlike other parties in democratic systems, was due to systemic fraud facilitated by the ECI.
Election Commission and BJP Respond
The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer responded swiftly, demanding that Gandhi submit a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with names of allegedly ineligible voters by the evening of August 8, 2025. The ECI labeled Gandhi’s claims “misleading” and warned that submitting false evidence could lead to penalties under Section 227 of the BNS and Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Gandhi hit back, stating, “This is Election Commission data. They haven’t denied the information. They’re asking me to sign an oath, but why don’t they say the data is wrong? Because they know the truth.” He reiterated that his allegations were based on official ECI records and stood by them as his “word to the people.”
The BJP dismissed Gandhi’s claims as “baseless” and accused him of insulting the public’s mandate. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad called the allegations “irresponsible and shameless,” while Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis quipped that either Gandhi’s “brain has been stolen or the chip in his brain is missing.” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of targeting constitutional institutions out of frustration over electoral losses.
Political Reactions and Public Sentiment
Posts on X reflected polarized sentiments. Supporters of Gandhi praised his press conference as a “charge sheet” against the ECI, with users like @Amockx2022 and @_protagonist1 lauding his use of “facts, figures, and data” to expose fake voters and duplicate entries. Others, like @FightApsc, called it a “bombshell,” highlighting the scale of alleged fraud. However, critics aligned with the BJP accused Gandhi of making baseless claims to deflect from Congress’s electoral defeats.
Implications for Indian Democracy
Gandhi’s allegations have reignited debates about the credibility of India’s electoral processes. The Congress leader’s call for machine-readable voter lists, access to CCTV footage, and judicial oversight has put pressure on the ECI to address transparency concerns. As the BJP secured a narrow victory in Bangalore Central by 32,707 votes and relied on allies to form the government in 2024, Gandhi’s claims suggest that even small-scale manipulations could have significant electoral consequences.
The ECI has yet to respond to Gandhi’s demands for digital voter lists and polling booth footage. Meanwhile, the Congress has vowed to continue its investigation into other constituencies, warning of “consequences” for officials involved in alleged fraud. As the controversy unfolds, it raises critical questions about the integrity of India’s democratic institutions and the mechanisms in place to ensure free and fair elections.
Author: The India News 24
TIN24 (The India News 24) The India News 24 (TIN24) is a Mumbai-based news Digital Media focusing on breaking news, local and regional issues in India, with content primarily in Marathi. It was established with an X (Twitter) presence since July 2022. Owner & News Editor: Amit Alhat Education: BA in Mass Communication Journalism (Graduate) Experience: 12 years in journalism Platforms: - Website: https://theindianews24.in - X (Twitter): https://x.com/the_indianews24 - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theindianews247 - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theindianews_24
