New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, levelled serious allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday during a dramatic press conference held in Delhi. Explaining his claims using a powerpoint presentation, Gandhi accused the BJP and EC of colluding to 'steal' votes in both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
Gandhi said his party had strong suspicions right from the declaration of results, pointing out what he described as unusual voter patterns and lack of transparency from the Election Commission. “In Maharashtra, more voters were added in five months than in the previous five years. This was our first red flag,” he claimed. He also questioned the sudden spike in voter turnout post 5.30 pm on polling day, calling it 'statistically and practically suspicious.'
Comparing the results, Gandhi pointed out the stark difference in performance. “In the Assembly elections, our alliance was wiped out. But in the Lok Sabha polls, we swept. This massive contrast, within such a short period, made no sense,” he said, calling it a major reason why Congress believes 'the election was stolen.'
According to Rahul Gandhi, his party approached the Election Commission with detailed complaints and even submitted documents as evidence, but received no cooperation. “We asked for the voter list, which is a public document, the property of this country, but they refused to share it with us. Then shockingly, the EC said they would destroy CCTV footage from polling booths,” he added.
He further alleged that no significant voting took place after 5.30 pm on polling day, contradicting official data showing a late surge in turnout. “Our booth-level workers were there. They know what happened. There was no crowd, no queues, nothing,” he stated.
'One Man Voted In 3 States,' Claims Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi also presented a case of duplicate voting, claiming that a person named Aditya Shrivaswat was found to have voted in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, a direct violation. “They didn’t give us digital data, but we gave them proof,” he said, slamming the Election Commission for its inaction.
He called the alleged vote tampering a criminal conspiracy against Indian democracy and the Constitution, and claimed the BJP was fearful of anti-incumbency, hence resorted to such methods. “From the beginning, we felt something was fishy. Now, we know why BJP wasn’t worried about losing power, they had already planned the theft,” Gandhi said.
