‘EC involved in vote theft, it’s treason,’ alleges Rahul Gandhi with warning; poll body rebuts charge

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that an independent investigation by the opposition found that the Election Commission of India is involved in a massive “vote theft” to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and termed it “treason” while warning the EC members of strong action. The Election Commission, meanwhile, dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft as baseless and urged officials to ignore such “irresponsible statements”.

“We have open and shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft. Most importantly, whoever in the Elections Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, we will not spare you,” Gandhi said while talking to reporters outside the parliament amid the escalating row over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.

Without naming any individual, Gandhi issued a warning to those in the Commission, saying, “You are working against India, and this is no less than treason. We will find you wherever you are, even if you are retired.”

Explosive allegations by Rahul Gandhi against ECI

Amid the protests in the parliament against Bihar SIR, Gandhi claimed that the opposition conducted an independent investigation after the recent elections and found proof that reveal ECI’s “involvement in vote theft”.

“After the results of the Madhya Pradesh and Lok Sabha elections, we had our suspicions. Those only deepened after the Maharashtra Assembly polls—especially when we saw that 1 crore new voters had suddenly been added to the final voter list. That’s when we realised the Election Commission wouldn’t act. So, we launched our own six-month investigation. And what we uncovered is nothing short of an atom bomb. Once it explodes, the Election Commission will have no place to hide,” Gandhi said.

Rahul’s warning to EC officials

After his explosive claims, Gandhi issued a stern warning to the Election Commission officials, stating that they wouldn’t be spared even if they were retired.

“Most importantly, whoever in the Elections Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, we will not spare you. You are working against India, and this is no less than treason. Wherever you are, even if you are retired, we will find you,” Gandhi said.

On Thursday, the INDIA bloc parties, in a unanimous decision at their meeting, resolved to intensify their protests against the ongoing SIR both inside and outside Parliament.

The INDIA bloc's protest comes as the Election Commission is scheduled to publish the draft electoral rolls of Bihar on Friday.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) in its reaction issued a strong rebuttal and dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft as “baseless” and urged officials to ignore such “irresponsible statements”.

It said, “The Election Commission ignores such baseless allegations being made every day and, despite the threats being given every day, it asks all election officials who are working in a fair and transparent manner to not pay heed to such irresponsible statements.”

“And I’m not saying this lightly, I’m speaking with 100 percent proof. And when we release it (proof), the entire country will come to know that the Election Commission is enabling vote theft. And who are they doing it for? They’re doing it for the BJP,” he said while speaking to reporters.