The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday firmly rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusations of "vote theft" in Karnataka, urging him to file a formal complaint under oath or cease spreading what it termed as misinformation.
In a stinging "Fact Check" directed to the Lok Sabha Opposition Leader, the election body posted a particular affidavit template Gandhi might employ to officially report suspected voter list irregularities in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka, which is part of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat.
Terming the allegations "misleading," the Commission said: "If Rahul Gandhi is convinced that what he is uttering is true, then he should sign the Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and file the same before the Election Commission of Karnataka by today evening itself so that necessary proceedings can be initiated."
The Commission further criticized Gandhi’s conclusions, advising him to stop drawing what it called “absurd conclusions” if he could not stand by his claims.
“If Rahul Gandhi does not believe in what he is saying, then he should stop arriving at absurd conclusions and misleading the citizens of India,” the ECI asserted.
Earlier during the day, Gandhi had accused massive election rigging in Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and alleged that the same kind of malpractice was being done in the rest of the nation too.
Speaking at a press conference, Gandhi added that allegations were supported by evidence gathered over a period of six months by a special team of 30 to 40 officials. Gandhi accused the Election Commission of having conspired with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to tamper with the voters' rolls, prevent oversight, and enable widespread voter suppression.
Gandhi noted that the Congress had polled 6,26,208 votes in Bangalore Central but the BJP had polled 6,58,915 — a 32,707-vote gap. But he asserted a closer look at the Mahadevapura segment alone revealed a huge vote gap, with the BJP polling 2,29,632 votes against Congress's 1,15,586 — a gap of 1,14,046 votes.
He claimed that more than 1,00,250 votes had been illegitimately deleted or manipulated in Mahadevapura alone and asserted such methods were being employed throughout the country.
"Secondly, duplicate voters. Up to 11,965 entries were replicated in many booths and even states. Gurkirat Singh, Aditya Shrivastava were seen multiple times and in Shrivastava's case, his name is seen in different states — Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh," said Rahul Gandhi.".
Gandhi’s claims drew sharp criticism from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who accused the Congress and its leader of attempting to undermine constitutional bodies like the Election Commission and the Supreme Court whenever outcomes do not align with their expectations.
At a press conference in New Delhi, Rijiju dismissed the allegations as “bogus” and politically charged.
"Rahul Gandhi and his gang's claims are false. They are attempting to defame the Election Commission," he said.
Rijiju reiterated that the SIR of electoral rolls is a routine and traditional process, not a politically motivated move.
"SIR has occurred several times, even post-independence. In Maharashtra, when the Congress and its allies had won a majority of the Lok Sabha seats, they eulogized the same rolls. But when they lost in the Assembly polls, the same rolls turned out to be an issue," he noted.
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