ECI Terms Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Theft Allegation “Baseless,” Asks All Officials to Ignore such “Irresponsible Statements”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 1: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday categorically rejected the Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s “vote theft” allegations for the benefit of the ruling party BJP and said the poll body ignores such baseless claims being made on a daily basis.
It also directed the election officials not to entertain such “irresponsible statements” while “working impartially and transparently.”
Continuing his campaign against the Election Commission, Mr Gandhi had claimed to have found “open and shut” evidence of alleged poll irregularities by the poll authority and said the poll body would have no place to hide when he reveal his “100 per cent evidence” of misdeeds by the Election Commission.
“The Election Commission ignores such baseless allegations being made on a daily basis, and despite the daily threats being given, asks all election officials to ignore such irresponsible statements and continue to work in a fair and transparent manner,” the EC said in response to the comments made by Mr Gandhi.
The EC further said the agency sent an email and letter on June 12 to Mr Gandhi asking him to come, but the latter did not respond. “EC sends a mail to him 12 June 2025. He does not come. EC sends him a letter on 12 June 2025, he does not respond. He has never sent any letter to EC on any issue whatsoever. It is very strange that he is making wild allegations and has now even started threatening EC and its staff. Deplorable!” it said in the statement.
Speaking to reporters about the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Friday, the Congress leader had said the Commission was involved in the “vote theft” to benefit the BJP. “Votes are being stolen. We have open-and-shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in this vote theft. And I’m not saying this lightly, I’m speaking with 100% proof. And when we release it (proof), the entire country will come to know that the Election Commission is enabling vote theft. And who are they doing it for? They’re doing it for the BJP,” he said.
Mr Gandhi had likened the evidence that his party has on alleged poll irregularities to an “atom bomb” and had said “when it explodes the Election Commission will have no place to hide in the country.” Mr Gandhi said his party had suspicions of poll irregularities in Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls in 2023, then in the Lok Sabha polls and lately in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Mr Gandhi said the Congress had investigated and found enough evidence to constitute an “atom bomb.” “We had suspicion of voter theft, and we got into its granularity. Since the Election Commission was not helpful in the investigation, we did our own. It took six months and the things we found are an ‘atom bomb’ and when this atom bomb explodes, you won’t see the Election Commission in the country,” the Congress MP said.
“Most importantly, whoever in the Elections Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, we will not spare you. You are working against India, and this is no less than treason. Wherever you are, even if you are retired, we will find you,” he added.
The Election Commission also fact-checked the Congress leader on his claims of fraudulent voter list during the 2024 Karnataka Lok Sabha elections. It said the draft and final electoral roll were prepared with all the political parties, including the Congress, and not a single appeal was filed against the final electoral roll.
In a statement later in the day, the Election Commission said it ignores such “baseless allegations”, adding that they were being made on a daily basis. “Despite the daily threats being given, we ask all election officials to ignore such irresponsible statements and work in a fair and transparent manner,” the panel said.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also objected to Mr Gandhi’s claims and accused him of making “anti-India” remarks. “Rahul Gandhi is not a child. He is the Leader of the Opposition. Giving anti-national statements and disrupting Parliament is unacceptable,” Mr Rijiju said.
Meanwhile, the ECI on Friday released the draft electoral roll for Bihar after the month-long “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) exercise ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls. No compiled list was made available, but voters can check their names on the ECI’s website.
There were 7.93 crore registered voters in the state before the SIR began in June, according to the Election Commission of India. It is yet to be known how many voters are in the just-published draft rolls.
The publication of the draft rolls also kicked off the process of “claims and objections,” which would continue till September 1, and during the period, voters with complaints of wrongful deletion of names can approach the authorities concerned seeking a remedy. Assembly elections would be due in the State later this year.
