NEW DELHI: India’s Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has renewed his accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging they colluded to rig elections — a claim he described as an act of “treason.”
In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Congress Party leader alleged widespread electoral fraud in multiple states, expanding on earlier claims he made during a meeting of the opposition INDIA alliance on Thursday evening.
“Vote theft is not just an electoral scam; it is a major betrayal committed against the constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this — times will change, punishment will surely be meted out,” Gandhi said.
Vote Chori सिर्फ़ एक चुनावी घोटाला नहीं, ये संविधान और लोकतंत्र के साथ किया गया बड़ा धोखा है।
देश के गुनहगार सुन लें – वक़्त बदलेगा, सज़ा ज़रूर मिलेगी। pic.twitter.com/tR7wh589fN
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 8, 2025
According to Gandhi, a survey conducted in the southern state of Karnataka revealed six key irregularities: multiple entries for the same voter, duplicate registrations across states, false addresses, clusters of bulk voters listed at single residences, unclear photographs on voter ID cards, and misuse of Form 6, which is used to enrol first-time voters.
He further accused the Election Commission of crafting a “choreographed schedule” for upcoming state assembly polls in coordination with the BJP, and claimed that the poll body had refused to share digital copies of electoral rolls with opposition parties.
Right after Gandhi’s claims, several Indian political leaders came out in support of him, backing his allegations of electoral fraud.
The BJP, on the other hand, was quick to counter these claims and slammed Gandhi for his accusations, Business Standard reported.
Several prominent leaders came forward backing Gandhi’s claims. Shashi Tharoor, Congress party MP, urged the Election Commission to address the “serious questions” raised, emphasising the importance of protecting the credibility of Indian democracy.
Karnataka state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of manipulating the 2024 elections to remain in power, highlighting irregularities like voter roll surges in Maharashtra and deletions in Bihar. He pointed to over one lakh “fake votes” in Mahadevapura alone that allegedly flipped Bangalore Central.
The Election Commission rejected the allegations, describing Gandhi’s claims as an “absurd analysis.” In comments cited by Indian media, ECI sources challenged the opposition leader to formally attest to his accusations.
“If Rahul Gandhi believes in his analysis and believes that his allegations against the Election Commission of India are true, he should have no problem in signing the declaration. If he does not sign the declaration, it would mean that he does not believe in his analysis and the resultant conclusions and absurd allegations. In this case, he should apologise to the nation. He has two options,” the sources said as cited by Indian media.
