New Delhi: A day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of enabling voter fraud in Karnataka to favor the BJP, the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday rallied behind his claims and demanded that the poll panel make its records public if it has contrary evidence.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the Election Commission’s response to Gandhi’s press conference reflected “hesitation and unease.” Speaking to IANS, Gogoi said, “The way the Election Commission felt it necessary to respond after Rahul Gandhi’s Press conference shows their hesitation and unease. They couldn’t give a pointed answer to Rahul Gandhi’s sharp questions. Now they’re asking for proof and declarations. But Rahul Gandhi already presented all the evidence publicly.”
He challenged the poll panel to release data disproving Gandhi’s claims. “If the Election Commission has different or contradictory facts, they should publish them. Rahul Gandhi mentioned several names, if you have data, show that he didn’t get that information from your official website,” he said.
Backing Gandhi’s allegations, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi drew parallels with similar incidents in Maharashtra. “Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi presented clear evidence from Karnataka showing how votes are being added and deleted. A similar case happened in Maharashtra, where around 12-13 thousand votes were found from the same university and college campuses, including students from other states voting there,” she told IANS.
She said the alleged voter roll manipulation in Karnataka indicated deliberate tampering to sway election outcomes. “In the same way, Karnataka’s case reveals voter additions and deletions to manipulate elections and undermine voters,” Chaturvedi added.
She also questioned the silence over BJP’s promise of 'One Nation, One Election'. “JP Nadda had raised the slogan ‘One Nation, One Election’ before the Lok Sabha polls, but it hasn’t materialized. There are over 400 such cases, and the Election Commission must respond properly instead of threatening people,” she said.
On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi claimed that over 1 lakh fake votes had been created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment under the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency. He called it part of a larger scheme to help the BJP win through “electoral fraud”.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said the matter should not be dismissed lightly. “This is not a joke; the Election Commission must answer. This is an important matter, and as Rahul Gandhi clearly pointed out yesterday, this is an attempt to undermine democracy. Steps have already been taken in that direction, but we will continue to fight both inside and outside the House to save democracy,” he said.
While the Election Commission has denied the allegations and requested specific evidence, the Opposition continues to press for a detailed public clarification, asking the poll body to confirm whether the data cited by Gandhi was indeed sourced from its official website.