New Delhi, August 8, 2025 – In a fiery press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters yesterday, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, leveled grave allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate voter lists and "steal" elections in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka. The explosive claims, backed by what Gandhi described as "criminal evidence," have sparked a political firestorm, with the opposition rallying behind him and the BJP dismissing the accusations as baseless.
Allegations of Electoral Malpractice
Gandhi’s press meet focused on alleged voter fraud in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Karnataka’s Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency. Presenting a detailed PowerPoint and documents extracted from electoral rolls, Gandhi claimed the ECI facilitated large-scale manipulation of voter lists. He cited specific irregularities in Mahadevapura, where the BJP’s PC Mohan secured a narrow victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls:
-11,965 duplicate voters** registered under slightly altered names.
-40,009 voters** with fake or invalid addresses, including non-existent locations or gibberish in details like father’s name.
-10,452 bulk voters** registered at single addresses, such as 80 voters in a single-room house.
-4,132 voters** with invalid photos.
-33,692 voters** misusing Form 6 for new registrations.
Gandhi alleged that these irregularities resulted in the "theft" of 1,00,250 votes in Mahadevapura alone, contributing to Congress’s unexpected loss in Bangalore Central, where internal surveys had predicted a stronger performance. He further claimed that the Maharashtra Assembly elections saw a suspicious addition of 1 crore new voters between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, alongside a sharp spike in voter turnout after 5:30 PM.
“This is a crime against the Indian Constitution,” Gandhi declared, describing the alleged fraud as a threat to democracy. He accused the ECI of withholding machine-readable voter lists and destroying CCTV footage from polling stations to conceal these malpractices. “If the Election Commission is not colluding with the BJP, they must provide electronic voter lists for the past 10-15 years and CCTV footage. I challenge them to do so,” he said.
Congress’s Investigation and Opposition Unity
Gandhi revealed that the Congress conducted a six-month investigation after its underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, where it won only 9 of the 16 seats predicted by internal surveys. The probe zeroed in on Mahadevapura, where the BJP’s lead of 1,14,046 votes secured their candidate’s victory. Gandhi claimed similar patterns of fraud were evident in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, suggesting a nationwide issue.
On the evening of August 7, Gandhi shared his findings with leaders of the INDIA bloc during a dinner meeting attended by over 50 leaders from 25 parties, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The opposition condemned the alleged fraud and announced plans for a protest march from Parliament to the ECI headquarters. On August 9, Gandhi led a protest in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, joined by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and other Congress leaders, to submit a memorandum to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer.
Election Commission’s Rebuttal
The ECI swiftly responded, with the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer demanding that Gandhi submit a signed declaration under oath, along with specific details of ineligible or excluded voters, as per the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The Maharashtra CEO issued a similar request. ECI sources criticized Gandhi for ignoring a June 12, 2025, invitation to discuss earlier rigging allegations he made in a newspaper article. They urged him to either substantiate his claims with a sworn statement or retract his “fabricated evidence,” emphasizing that election results can only be challenged through an Election Petition in the High Court.
BJP Hits Back
The BJP dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as a “desperate attempt” to deflect from Congress’s electoral losses. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra questioned why Gandhi did not challenge the ECI’s integrity when Congress won 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, accusing him of “selective outrage.” Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged a “larger conspiracy” against Indian democracy, while Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis mocked Gandhi, saying, “Either his brain has been stolen, or the chip in his brain is missing.”
Public and Political Reactions
The allegations have ignited intense debate. On social media platform X, opinions are sharply divided. Supporters of Gandhi, such as user @tehseenp, criticized the ECI for treating him like a criminal instead of addressing his claims. Others, like @Indian_Analyzer, accused Gandhi of tarnishing India’s democratic institutions, particularly abroad. Media outlets like @thewire_in noted Gandhi’s dissent in the selection committee for the Chief Election Commissioner, raising concerns about the ECI’s independence.
A Call for Judicial Oversight
Gandhi called for judicial intervention, stating, “The judiciary needs to get involved because the democracy that we love so much does not exist.” He argued that the ECI’s failure to deny the accuracy of his data was an admission of guilt. “They haven’t said the voter list Rahul Gandhi is talking about is wrong. Why don’t they? Because they know the truth,” he said.
As the controversy unfolds, Gandhi’s allegations have thrust the ECI’s credibility into the spotlight. While the Congress and its allies demand transparency, the BJP and ECI maintain that legal processes exist to address such claims. The nation awaits further developments, with the opposition’s planned protests and the ECI’s response likely to shape the narrative around India’s electoral integrity.
