Rahul Gandhi Accuses Election Commission of Covering for ‘Ballot Riggers’
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a new offensive against the electoral authority, claiming its chief Gyanesh Kumar of “protecting those murdering democracy”.
Allegations of Electoral Roll Irregularities
Gandhi stated that electors' identities had been selectively deleted or included in electoral rolls to assist the governing BJP in important assembly contests.
He insisted that his vote manipulation charges were supported by “conclusive evidence” and that the election commission had failed to act despite numerous appeals from his Congress party.
Specific Examples Mentioned
At the media event, Gandhi referenced the Aland assembly constituency in the regional province, stating that thousands of registered citizens had been removed from electoral rolls in Congress strongholds.
He asserted that most affected voters belonged to minority and disadvantaged groups who were traditional party voters.
Gandhi also pointed to irregularities in the Rajura electoral area in another province, where he alleged thousands of fake names had been included in voter lists.
Institutional Reaction
The Election Commission rejected these allegations as “incorrect and baseless” and clarified that voter names cannot be deleted online by external individuals.
The body noted that it had filed a police complaint regarding unauthorized removal efforts in the Aland constituency during 2023.
Wider Background
These recent claims form part of an continuing sequence of voting process issues highlighted by political rivals regarding recent electoral processes.
Various ex- poll officials have supported the need for transparency and reliability in the voting system of the nation with billion-plus voters.
