'Our democracy is too precious': Shashi Tharoor supports Rahul Gandhi on 'vote chori'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday got the support of his party MP Shashi Tharoor in his attack on Election Commission (EC) over alleged irregularities and "voter theft" while also accusing it of colluding with the BJP to "damage" the country's Constitution.

Sharing the post of the LOP Rahul Gandhi's yesterday's presentation of "vote chori" in Mahadevapura Assembly segment under Central Bangalore Lok Sabha constituency, the Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor wrote: "These are serious questions which must be seriously addressed in the interests of all parties & all voters. Our democracy is too precious to allow its credibility to be destroyed by incompetence, carelessness or worse, deliberate tampering. @ECISVEEP must urgently act & @SpokespersonECI should keep the nation informed."

Tharoor's support to his leader Rahul Gandhi assumes significance considering the senior Congress leader has been at loggerheads with the grand old party’s central leadership after he was chosen by the government to lead an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Tharoor made comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach that were at variance with the stand of the Congress.

Tensions between Tharoor and the Congress high command further escalated after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy in an article for The Hindu, highlighting PM Modi’s “energy" and “dynamism" as valuable to India’s global influence.

The article was later shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, intensifying speculation about Tharoor’s allegiance.

Yesterday, during the press conference, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi presented a PPT and alleged irregularities in the voter list in the Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections and also the name of the same voter being in several booths and states.

However, on Thursday itself, the Election Commission rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegation. At the same time, many leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sharply criticised Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Rahul Gandhi had exposed 'voter fraud' in the Lok Sabha elections with evidence. He wrote on Twitter, “Despite massive public anger, Modi returned to power through electoral fraud. The documents released today by Rahul Gandhi are a clear proof of this.”

Siddaramaiah demanded the resignation of PM Narendra Modi, saying, "Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister by misusing the Election Commission, stealing votes and misusing power. He has no moral right to remain in office. He should immediately resign and dissolve the government."