NEW DELHI – The Congress party has decided to prioritize a political campaign over a legal challenge regarding its allegations of electoral roll irregularities, according to party functionaries. This strategy comes after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed that a significant number of “stolen” votes in the Mahadevapura segment of the Bangalore (Central) Lok Sabha constituency helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secure the seat in the 2024 general election.
Gandhi, who has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of “colluding” with the BJP, presented what he called “atom bomb evidence of voter manipulation” on Thursday. He cited a study that found 100,250 “fake” votes in the Mahadevapura segment, including duplicate voters, fake addresses, bulk voters at a single address, and misuse of Form 6 for new voter registration. According to Gandhi, this manipulation was instrumental in the BJP’s victory by a margin of 32,707 votes in the constituency.
Despite these strong allegations, party leaders have opted to engage in a political fight first. A senior functionary stated that a legal battle would be “prolonged” and would make the matter “sub-judice,” thereby weakening the political momentum of the opposition alliance. The party has also acknowledged that its request for a machine-readable electoral roll, a key demand of its campaign, was previously rejected by the Supreme Court in the 2019 case of Kamal Nath vs. ECI, which cited concerns over voter privacy.
A United Front Against Alleged Voter Fraud
The Congress is leveraging this issue to unite the INDIA bloc. Rahul Gandhi has planned an extensive political program against the alleged voter list fraud, starting with a major rally in Bihar on August 11, which will conclude in Patna on September 1. All INDIA bloc parties are expected to participate, transforming the issue into a central theme of the opposition’s political narrative.
The ECI, for its part, has responded to Gandhi’s allegations, calling them “absurd” and a “tired script.” The ECI has also pointed out that the Congress-led government in Karnataka is using the same electoral rolls for its caste census and has challenged Gandhi to submit his evidence under oath or apologize for his claims.