The Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, with supporting evidence, that the Election Commission and the BJP colluded to include 25 lakh fake votes in the voters’ list during the 2024 Haryana elections to prevent the Congress from winning is questioning the credibility of elections in India. Rahul pointed out that the total vote difference in the eight constituencies Congress lost was only 22,729 votes. He also questioned the discrepancy in figures, noting that the Congress received 53.31 lakh votes and won 37 seats, while the BJP, with 55.49 lakh votes, secured 48 seats. Rahul shared several pieces of evidence with the public, including the astonishing discovery that in 10 polling booths, 22 voters had the same photograph, some of them with the photo of even a Brazilian model’s picture. He also displayed a statement made by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini two days before the election results were announced, in which Saini claimed, “The BJP will form the government. We already have the arrangements in place. You need not worry about that". When five exit polls had predicted that the Congress would win up to 62 seats and form the government, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi questioned how Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini could make such a confident declaration in advance unless it was part of a preplanned conspiracy.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the Election Commission has yet to issue any credible response. Instead, it has countered the disclosure with what Rahul described as weak counterarguments — such as why Congress booth agents did not raise complaints during the voter list revision process if duplicate voters existed, and how Rahul knew that the fake voters had cast their ballots for the BJP. Even a child can understand that it is unreasonable to expect a leader of an opposition party, with no advantages of being in power, to manually verify a voter list containing two crore names, identify all fake entries, and collect proof within a limited timeframe. Meanwhile, he suggested, both the ruling party and the Election Commission enjoy limitless means and authority to act as they please. All of this, Rahul Gandhi argued, makes it clear why a “godi” Election Commission, one favourable to the ruling establishment, was appointed despite strong objections from the opposition. Earlier, in August this year Rahul had publicly exposed what he described as large-scale voter fraud in Karnataka, with solid evidence. He alleged that over one lakh of the 6.5 lakh votes in the Mahadevapura constituency were fake, created through fake names, false addresses, and fake photographs, and that the BJP candidate’s victory had been secured on the back of these manipulations. Even then, the Election Commission’s response was limited to vague denials and counter-accusations, dismissing his claims as politically motivated and lacking proof.
Again, in September, when Rahul revealed evidence showing that 6,018 votes in the Aland Assembly constituency had been deleted using mobile numbers and other data linked to individuals outside the state, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar dismissed the findings outright, calling them “baseless". The Chief Election Commissioner of Karnataka himself responded in a way that seemed to confirm Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, making it clear that the so-called “high-tech voter fraud” was not just an accusation but a credible reality. In essence, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the voter list now underway, including in Kerala, has created an atmosphere of concern over what kinds of irregularities might be concealed within it. It has become uncertain whether even the Supreme Court can, through a decisive verdict, stop the government’s dubious manoeuvres. An Election Commission endowed with unquestionable powers, yet vulnerable to control by a government driven by hidden agendas and vested interests, is effectively striking at the very roots of democracy and subverting genuine public will. As Parliament and the Executive appear to be crushed under the weight of authoritarian power, it is only the judiciary that can ensure the smooth continuation of the world’s largest democracy. Hopefully, along with a strong popular uprising, the enlightened public and the opposition will be seriously considering a judicial solution.