A Political Storm Over 2024 Elections
New Delhi – A major political controversy has erupted in India after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of voter fraud and large-scale irregularities in the 2024 general elections.
Opposition parties claim the alleged malpractice benefited the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Tuesday, Parliament was adjourned as opposition MPs demanded a full debate on the integrity of the electoral process.
A day earlier, Gandhi and dozens of opposition leaders were briefly detained in Delhi while marching to the ECI headquarters to demand action.
Rahul Gandhi’s Core Allegations
At a 7 August press conference, Gandhi alleged widespread voter list manipulation, based on electoral data he says came directly from the commission. His claims include:
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Duplicate voter entries and invalid addresses
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Bulk registrations of votes at single locations
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A voter allegedly casting two ballots in the same election
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Deleted CCTV footage from polling booths
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80 voters registered at one address in Mahadevapura, Bangalore
Gandhi insists the Congress lost at least 48 seats due to these irregularities and accused the ECI of failing to uphold the “one person, one vote” rule.
He has demanded digital voter rolls be made public for independent audits. The BBC has not independently verified these claims.
Election Commission and BJP’s Response
The ECI swiftly dismissed the allegations as “absurd”, urging Gandhi to either submit a sworn declaration or apologise.
Its Karnataka unit said the Congress never filed formal objections during the electoral roll revision. The commission also explained that CCTV footage is kept for only 45 days after results, as per procedure.
BJP leaders strongly rejected the charges:
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Dharmendra Pradhan called the allegations “dangerous for democracy”
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Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Gandhi of defaming constitutional institutions
Link to Bihar’s Electoral Roll Controversy
The row comes amid the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s voter list — the first major update since 2003. Conducted between June and July 2025, officials visited all 78.9 million registered voters for verification.
The ECI says the update removed duplicate, deceased, and migrated voters, including:
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2.2 million dead voters
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700,000 duplicates
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3.6 million migrants
Critics argue the process was rushed and risked disenfranchising minorities and migrant workers. Many voters reported wrong photographs and names of deceased people still on the draft list.
The Supreme Court is hearing petitions demanding the publication of deleted names with reasons. The court has described the matter as a “trust deficit” issue, but promised to act immediately if large-scale voter exclusion is proven.
Gandhi Escalates Claims
On 12 August, Gandhi said alleged voter manipulation was “national and systematic”, citing cases like a 124-year-old voter still listed in Bihar’s rolls.
“There are unlimited cases like that,” he said, adding in Hindi: “Abhi picture baki hai” – the story is not over yet.
