Delhi, August 8: Is the Election Commission of India (ECI) colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter lists and rig elections? This question was forcefully raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who on August 7 took to X to demand answers from the ECI, posting, "Election Commission, there are 5 questions - the country demands answers: 1. Why isn't the opposition getting the digital voter list? What are you hiding? 2. CCTV and video evidence are being erased - why? On whose orders? 3. Fake voting and tampering with the voter list - why? 4. Threatening and intimidating opposition leaders - why? 5. Tell us clearly - has the ECI now become an agent of the BJP?"

Gandhi’s allegations come amid his claims of widespread "vote chori" or vote theft in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, accusing the ECI and the ruling party of orchestrating "a huge criminal fraud" to influence election outcomes. Gandhi backed his accusations during a press conference on August 7, with detailed figures, alleging that over one lakh votes were stolen through methods such as duplicate voters, fake addresses, bulk voters registered at a single address, invalid photos, and misuse of voter registration forms. Fact Check: Is India Halting Defence Deals With US Over Tariff Row? Defence Ministry Calls Media Reports False and Fabricated.

He claimed that thousands of voters appeared multiple times across polling booths and that many addresses listed in the voter rolls did not exist or were commercial establishments. These allegations formed the core of his argument that the Election Commission was not only failing in its duty but actively colluding with the BJP to rig elections.

Rahul Gandhi Questions ECI on 'Vote Chori'

ECI Fact Checks Rahul Gandhi's Allegations

Taking to X on August 8, the ECI fact-checked Rahul Gandhi’s claims of voter list manipulation and collusion with the BJP, labelling the allegations as misleading. The Commission pointed out that the plea for providing machine-readable voter lists by the Congress was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2019 (Kamal Nath vs ECI). It emphasised that any aggrieved candidate has the legal right to challenge electoral rolls through an election petition within 45 days, allowing for the retention and review of CCTV footage. Without such legal proceedings, reviewing footage from thousands of polling stations is impractical and serves no legitimate purpose. E-Voter Rolls of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, UP and MP Removed From Official Websites After Rahul Gandhi’s Press Conference? EC Calls It ‘Fake News’, Gives Link To Download Voter Lists.

ECI Calls Rahul Gandhi’s Claims on Election Fraud Misleading

The ECI also highlighted that during the recent preparation of electoral rolls for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress filed very few appeals under the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act, and Rahul Gandhi himself has never submitted a formal, self-signed complaint regarding these issues. ECI reiterated that it operates transparently and follows established procedures, dismissing the narrative that it is colluding with any political party.

Finally, the ECI challenged Rahul Gandhi to either submit formal objections and declarations as required by election law or to apologise for making baseless and unsubstantiated allegations in public. The ECI stressed that democracy and the election process must be protected from misinformation and urged all stakeholders to engage through proper legal channels rather than media statements.

Fact check

Is Election Commission Colluding With BJP To Rig Voters List? ECI Fact-Checks Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Allegations
Claim :

Rahul Gandhi alleges that the Election Commission is colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter lists and rig elections.

Conclusion :

The Election Commission has dismissed these allegations as misleading and confirmed that all electoral processes are conducted transparently and according to law.

Full of Trash
Clean

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 08, 2025 07:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).