The political climate in India is heating up as a controversy unfolds regarding alleged "vote theft" in the 2024 elections. Opposition parties, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of facilitating irregularities to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The uproar reached a peak on Tuesday when parliament was adjourned after opposition MPs demanded discussions on electoral integrity.
The situation escalated the previous day when police briefly detained numerous opposition leaders, including Gandhi, as they attempted to march towards the ECI's headquarters in Delhi. Gandhi initially raised concerns over voter manipulation during a press conference on August 7, garnering support from numerous opposition lawmakers.
Gandhi's allegations are based on detailed data from the ECI itself, which he argues indicates extensive discrepancies in voter lists. He claims over 100,000 entries in the voter roll of Mahadevapura, a region in the Bangalore parliamentary constituency, feature duplicate registrations, invalid addresses, and clusters of votes registered at single locations. He cited specific cases, including that of Shakun Rani, who he claimed voted twice—a detail that the ECI disputes.
In response, the ECI and the BJP have vehemently rejected the allegations. The Commission described Gandhi's claims as "absurd" and demanded he either retract his statements under oath or apologize publicly. The Karnataka unit of the ECI pointed out that the Congress party did not file any formal objections during the electoral roll revisions.
The controversy is further compounded by ongoing issues in Bihar, where a month-long revision of electoral rolls has raised concerns about disenfranchisement, particularly among vulnerable populations. As the Supreme Court deliberates on petitions related to this revision, the implications for the elections may grow even more significant.
Gandhi has claimed that the integrity of the electoral process is failing at a national level, adding that the issue will continue to unfold, characterized by several alleged instances of voter manipulation. While debates rage on, the repercussions of these allegations are likely to resonate throughout Indian politics as the country gears up for its future electoral challenges.
