Source TOI
HYDERABAD — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sparked a major political debate by questioning the fairness of India’s 2024 national elections. Speaking at the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad on Saturday, Gandhi claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) wrongly labeled 140 million (14 crore) people who cast their ballots in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as fake or non-existent voters.
Questions Over Voter Numbers
Addressing the crowd at the two-day event organized by the Telangana government, Gandhi pointed out that 140 million people make up roughly 13% of India’s total voters. He argued that if such a massive number of actual voters are now being treated as invalid by the poll body, it casts serious doubt on the entire election result.
“If the Election Commission has declared 140 million voters—who voted in the 2024 elections—as illegal or non-voters, then how can that election be valid?” Gandhi asked during his speech.
Broader Criticism of the Ruling Party
During his address, Gandhi did not limit his criticism to the voting process. He also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of weakening India’s democratic institutions.
According to Gandhi, the gap between big business and politics has vanished, leading to an unfair concentration of money and power. He claimed that the BJP’s financial assets have grown eleven times over the last decade, which he said makes it harder for opposition parties to compete on equal footing. He also pointed to recent state polls, such as in Maharashtra, claiming sudden spikes in new voter additions helped the ruling party.
The Election Commission and BJP’s Stand
While the Election Commission has not issued a direct reply to Saturday’s speech, the poll body has previously rejected similar claims of “vote theft” made by the opposition. In past statements, the ECI has maintained that its voter list updates and verification drives strictly follow established legal rules to keep the rolls clean and accurate.
Meanwhile, the BJP has strongly pushed back against Gandhi’s ongoing campaign against the voting system. Ruling party leaders have previously accused the Congress of trying to undermine public trust in constitutional bodies and have raised counter-claims of voter list irregularities in constituencies held by opposition leaders.
Despite the challenges, Gandhi told supporters in Hyderabad that the opposition remains united and confident about defeating the BJP in future elections.
