A political row has erupted in India over allegations of "vote theft", with opposition parties accusing the country's election body of irregularities that they claim benefitted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2024 general elections. The uproar reached a peak on Tuesday when parliament was adjourned following demands from opposition MPs for a debate on the integrity of India's electoral system. Following a demonstration in Delhi advocating for proper electoral oversight, numerous opposition figures, including prominent Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, were temporarily detained by police.
Gandhi has alleged extensive voter manipulation throughout the 2024 parliamentary elections, presenting detailed data sourced from the Election Commission of India (ECI) itself, which the commission and BJP are contesting. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieving a pivotal third term, the BJP-led coalition did not gain the overwhelming majority that had been forecasted. With approximately 66% voter turnout, equating to nearly a billion registered voters—about one in eight of the global population—the elections were characterized by significant engagement.
To substantiate his claims, Gandhi pointed to the electoral figures from Mahadevapura within the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency, asserting that over 100,000 fraudulent entries were present on the voter list. This includes instances of duplicate voters, inaccuracies in addresses, and widespread bulk registrations at single locations. Disputing certain voter claims, including that of Shakun Rani who was allegedly recorded as voting twice, Gandhi also alleged the illegal deletion of CCTV footage from polling stations and presented a case where 80 individuals were registered at a single address in Mahadevapura. According to him, such irregularities resulted in Congress losing at least 48 seats in the elections.
Gandhi is calling for the ECI to disclose digital voter rolls for public and party audits. The BBC has been unable to verify his accusations independently. In response, the ECI denounced Gandhi's comments as "absurd" through its social media channels, demanding that he present a sworn statement or retract his assertions publicly. Meanwhile, ECI's Karnataka branch conveyed that Congress failed to voice formal objections during the electoral roll revision prior to the elections.
BJP officials have condemned the allegations, with federal education minister Dharmendra Pradhan labeling the situation as dangerous to democracy and agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accusing Gandhi and the opposition of damaging the dignity of democratic institutions.
The fallout from Gandhi’s claims comes amidst ongoing disputes surrounding the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, where critical elections are slated for November. This Special Intensive Revision aimed to purge the rolls of duplicates and deceased voters but faced backlash from critics who argue that it disenfranchised numerous voters, particularly minorities and migrants. Many residents have reported discrepancies in the draft rolls, including incorrect photos and entries for the deceased.
Currently, the Supreme Court of India is deliberating on various petitions questioning the electoral revision process, pushing for a clearer understanding of the impacts of the deletions, which total approximately 6.5 million. The ECI explains that a portion of these included deceased individuals, those registered multiple times, and migrants. As corrections to the rolls remain open until September 1, the court has indicated its willingness to intervene should evidence of mass voter exclusion arise. On August 12, Gandhi intensified his accusations, suggesting that such manipulation occurs systematically at a national level. He underscored the case of a 124-year-old voter listed in Bihar's draft electoral registry, vowing to continue fighting for electoral integrity.
