New Delhi, 7 August — Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of aiding “vote chori” to benefit the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka on Thursday formally asked him to submit names of electors allegedly included or excluded from the state’s voters’ list, along with a signed declaration.
The move came shortly after Gandhi, in a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, alleged that over 1 lakh fake or duplicate votes were added in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat. He claimed the fraud helped the BJP secure the lone seat it needed in the constituency, calling it a “theft of democracy” and a “crime against the Constitution.”
In a letter issued to Gandhi, the CEO reminded him that under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, any citizen alleging wrongful inclusion or deletion of electors is required to submit a formal declaration and details of such electors. “You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed declaration/oath… so that necessary proceedings can be initiated,” the letter read.
Election Commission sources further said that Gandhi must either provide legally signed evidence or “stop misleading” the public with “baseless allegations.”
But Gandhi hit back, refusing to treat the EC’s letter as a challenge to his claims. “I am a politician—what I say to the people is my word. Take it as an oath,” he said, adding that the EC had not denied the data presented, only demanded a signature.
According to Gandhi, the data—which he claimed was sourced from the EC itself—shows:
- 11,965 duplicate voters
- 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses
- 10,452 voters registered under bulk or single addresses
- 4,132 voters with invalid photographs
- 33,692 misusing Form 6 for new voter registration
“This is not just about one seat. If we analyse other constituencies the way we did Mahadevapura, the entire myth of Indian democracy will collapse,” he warned.
He alleged that the BJP secured 25 Lok Sabha seats with margins under 33,000 votes, suggesting similar fraud may have been used to tilt the national result.
Defending the process, the Karnataka CEO said electoral rolls are prepared as per the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and relevant rules. Copies of the latest rolls were also shared with political parties, including the Congress, as per due procedure, the letter noted.
The poll panel’s firm stance came amid mounting political tensions. Gandhi accused the EC of being complicit in what he called “nationwide rigging.” He also warned officials who allegedly assisted in the fraud: “There are going to be consequences… when the Opposition comes to power, you will see what we do to you.”
Calling the EC’s role a betrayal of constitutional values, Gandhi declared: “You are not in the business of destroying Indian democracy. You are supposed to protect it.”
As of Thursday evening, the poll panel was still awaiting Gandhi’s signed declaration.
