A heated political controversy has erupted in India following allegations of 'vote theft' made by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress engaging in a sharp war of words.
On Sunday, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal dismissed Gandhi’s claims, accusing him of championing the cause of "Bangladeshis and Rohingyas" rather than addressing substantive issues.
"Rahul Gandhi wanted to explode a hydrogen bomb, but nothing happened. The Election Commission says that it is impartial. If there is any proof, then they should give it to the EC," Pal said. He further added, "The fight that Rahul Gandhi is fighting today is the fight of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas," escalating the rhetoric by questioning the legitimacy of Gandhi’s allegations.
The controversy stems from Rahul Gandhi’s press conference in Delhi on September 18, where he accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of "protecting vote chors (vote thieves)." Gandhi alleged that the CEC is fully aware of fraudulent practices involving the deletion and addition of fake voters in electoral rolls. He claimed to have "10 per cent proof" that Kumar is complicit in shielding those responsible for manipulating voter lists.
Gandhi specifically pointed to an incident in Karnataka’s Aland assembly constituency, where he alleged an attempt to delete approximately 6,000 voters’ names.
"In Aland, Karnataka, 6018 votes, somebody tried to delete these votes. We don’t know the total number of votes deleted in the 2023 elections, but somebody got caught. It was caught, by most crimes, by coincidence. What happened was that the Booth Level officer noticed that her uncle’s vote had been deleted," the Congress MP said during the press conference.
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Gandhi clarified that the so-called "hydrogen bomb"—a term he used to describe the magnitude of the issue—was still forthcoming, but he accused a "certain group of people" of systematically targeting the votes of minority communities that predominantly support the Congress. He suggested that these manipulations were part of a broader effort to undermine the democratic process.
The allegations gained further traction when Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, an ally of the Congress, reiterated Gandhi’s claims on Saturday. Raut went further, alleging that 90 per cent of the Mahayuti MLAs in Maharashtra secured their victories through "vote chori" (vote theft). His remarks amplified the opposition’s narrative, intensifying the scrutiny on the Election Commission and the ruling coalition.
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The BJP, through Pal’s statements, has strongly refuted these accusations, urging the Congress to present concrete evidence to the Election Commission rather than making unsubstantiated claims. The Election Commission has maintained its impartiality, emphasising that any allegations of voter fraud must be backed by verifiable proof.
As the debate unfolds, the controversy over alleged "vote theft" underscores the deepening political divide in India, with the opposition raising concerns about electoral integrity and the ruling party dismissing them as politically motivated.
The allegations, particularly in the context of the 2023 elections and specific incidents like the one in Aland, are likely to keep the issue of voter list manipulation at the forefront of political discourse as both sides vie for public support.
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