Source The Hindu
NEW DELHI — In a sharp escalation of his offensive against the country’s electoral machinery, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has termed the 2024 Lok Sabha elections fundamentally flawed and “illegal,” alleging that the mass deletion of millions of legitimate voters stripped the democratic process of its fairness.
Addressing an INDIA bloc gathering, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of facilitating systematic electoral malpractice by striking off eligible voters from electoral rolls, particularly in strongholds of opposition parties.
Gandhi alleged that large-scale roll revisions removed upwards of crores of voters nationwide without due verification or transparency, characterizing the exercise as a coordinated maneuver to alter election outcomes. “When millions of citizens are disenfranchised through targeted deletions without notice, the electoral outcome ceases to reflect the mandate of the people,” Gandhi asserted, arguing that the omissions breached constitutional safeguards.
Opposition leaders participating in the event echoed these concerns, demanding immediate institutional accountability and comprehensive audits of voter list additions and removals across several states. The INDIA alliance has called for systemic reforms and the restoration of public confidence in the polling architecture.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and election authorities pushed back strongly against the claims. BJP spokespersons dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated, stating that the continuous updation and revision of electoral rolls are routine statutory processes aimed at weeding out duplicate entries and deceased individuals. Party leaders added that Gandhi’s repeated attacks on democratic institutions stem from the opposition’s inability to accept electoral verdicts.
The Election Commission has consistently maintained that all revisions follow established statutory guidelines with public notice periods, urging political parties to follow designated administrative and legal remedies rather than leveling unsubstantiated public accusations.
