2024 LS election rigged, EC effectively dead: Rahul reiterates evidence claim

Intensifying his ongoing offensive against the Election Commission (EC), Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were “rigged” and the country’s electoral system was effectively “dead”.

He claimed that the Congress possessed “irrefutable” proof of election manipulation, which, when made public, will shake the foundations of Indian democracy.

Speaking at the AICC’s 2025 annual legal conclave in Delhi, ‘Constitutional Challenges: Perspectives and Pathways’, the Rae Bareli MP declared that the data in the grand old party’s possession would have a dramatic impact. “You will see the shockwave that is going to go through the electoral system when we release this data. It is literally like an atom bomb,” he said.

“The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. Please remember one thing: the Prime Minister of India enjoys a very slim majority. Even if 10–15 seats were rigged — while we suspect the actual number to be closer to 70–80 or even 100 —he would not have been the prime minister,” the former Congress chief said.

Citing an example from Karnataka, Gandhi said the party had manually verified voter lists in one Assembly segment and allegedly discovered 1.5 lakh fake voters out of 6.5 lakh registered electors. “In the coming few days, we are going to prove to you without any doubt how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged, and was rigged,” he asserted.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the EC had become a mere extension of PM Modi. He claimed that as many as 65 lakh voters were being disenfranchised in Bihar.

“The EC wants to snatch away voting rights from the poor, marginalised and minorities, people who are fed up with the BJP and would otherwise vote for the Congress,” he said.

He further accused the poll panel of voter manipulation in both the Maharashtra Assembly elections and the 2024 General Elections. “How can there be nine voters living in a small room and nine thousand voters registered in a single hostel in Maharashtra? This isn’t an Election Commission, it is Modi ji’s puppet,” he said.