Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed he was “100 per cent certain” that elections in India had been rigged and called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Gandhi made the remarks at a press conference a day after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions taken in the name of the Election Commission.
“100 per cent sure that elections are rigged. All elections are rigged,” Gandhi said.
His allegations are not established findings. The Election Commission has not accepted his claim that Indian elections were rigged.
Rahul Gandhi Repeats ‘Vote Chori’ Allegations
Gandhi said the alleged manipulation of votes had consequences beyond individual elections and could affect the functioning of constitutional institutions.
“The Election Commission is the institutional protector of this vote. It is their responsibility to protect the vote,” he said.
“If the vote is destroyed, the Constitution does not function, laws are illegal and institutions mean nothing,” Gandhi added.
Gandhi claimed that the information already available was enough, in his view, to establish his allegations with “100 per cent certainty”.
“These are the people who have done this. And I am not speaking in the air. I have shown it with proof,” he said.
He also alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and various Assembly elections had been rigged.
Gandhi Calls for Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation
Gandhi also targeted CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were responsible for his appointment.
“Gyanesh Kumar was chosen by PM, Amit Shah and now two ECs are saying he’s responsible for chaos, damage to our voting system,” Gandhi said.
He called for Kumar to resign and said the Election Commission needed reform.
“We need a reform of the Election Commission. I don’t think this government can do it. It can only happen when the government changes,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi also claimed that the Election Commission had “lost control of the voter list” and that the credibility of electoral rolls had been damaged.
Two Election Commissioners Raised Objections
The remarks came after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times during the previous 10 months to decisions and orders that they said were taken without their knowledge.
Their objections reportedly concerned new voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6 and access to electoral roll databases.
In one instance, Sandhu described a change to Form 6 as “unauthorised and illegal”. Both commissioners also raised concerns about what they described as the gradual centralisation of the electoral roll database.
The report said the commissioners had also raised concerns over the functioning of electoral software, including a case in Goa where the system could not record decisions involving 97 voters.
Under Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, business of the Commission is to be conducted unanimously as far as possible. Where the members disagree, decisions are taken according to the majority view.
Rahul Gandhi Says Modi, Shah Will Face Investigation
Gandhi also said Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah would face an investigation over what he described as a “crime” involving alleged election rigging.
“I am making a commitment here on behalf of the people of India, the Congress party and the Opposition, that Mr Modi and Mr Shah will be investigated for this crime,” Gandhi said.
He added that the Opposition had sufficient information and said, “You will see in the next two, three or four months what is going to happen.”
Gandhi also said there was broad agreement among Opposition parties over his “vote chori” allegations and that the Congress would continue to raise the issue.
The Election Commission row has already led Opposition parties to demand action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition has also moved to submit fresh notices seeking his removal following the Indian Express report.
