New Delhi: The BJP on Friday dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s voter fraud allegations as baseless and challenged him to produce concrete evidence or risk being seen as indulging in political theatrics.
Responding to the Congress MP’s accusation of large-scale voter list manipulation in Karnataka, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said Gandhi must submit the names of ineligible electors “under Declaration/Oath” as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, if he wants to preserve his credibility.
“For his own credibility, Rahul Gandhi must submit, under Declaration/Oath, the names of ineligible electors he claims are on the voter list, as required under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. If he fails to do so, it will be crystal clear that he has no real case and was indulging in political theatre, only to obfuscate facts, plant doubts in people's minds, and tarnish the EC's image,” Malviya wrote on X.
Calling Gandhi’s conduct “reckless”, Malviya accused him of attempting to undermine the Election Commission for political gain.
Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, continued his attack on the poll panel, describing the alleged voter list tampering as more than just an electoral scam. “It is a serious betrayal of democracy,” he said, warning that “those complicit in crime will face punishment in times to come.”
At a press conference on Thursday, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha accused the BJP of working hand-in-glove with the Election Commission to manipulate the Karnataka elections. He alleged that Congress strongholds were “stolen” through fraudulent means.
Citing Mahadevapura Assembly constituency as an example, Gandhi claimed that over one lakh votes were fraudulently transferred to benefit the BJP.
The BJP hit back swiftly, sharing data from the state election commission showing that its vote share in the constituency had steadily increased over the last four Assembly polls, while Congress support had declined.
“Rahul's attempt to portray BJP's dominance in Mahadevapura as electoral malpractice crumbles under facts,” the party said, adding that the growing margin between the two parties in successive elections disproved his claims.