Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of vote theft, presenting data from the Mahadevpura assembly constituency in Karnataka as evidence. During a press conference, he responded to questions regarding the perception of bias in the commission. Gandhi stated that the fundamental issue lies in a compromised election commission and voter list. He asserted that neither electronic voting machines (EVMs) nor ballot papers can ensure fairness if the commission itself is not impartial. He likened the situation to having umpires who favor the opposing team.
Gandhi highlighted the compromised integrity of the election system and alleged the involvement of the Election Commission in the irregularities. He suggested that the judiciary should intervene in the matter.
Gandhi cited internal surveys that indicated the Congress party expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka, but only secured 9. He then focused on the Mahadevpura constituency, analyzing the 2024 election data obtained from the Election Commission. He pointed out that the BJP won the Lok Sabha elections with a margin of 32,707 votes, securing 658,915 votes. In contrast, the Congress received 115,586 votes in the Mahadevpura assembly segment, while the BJP garnered 229,632 votes. Gandhi emphasized that the BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections was significantly influenced by the results in this constituency, which showed a considerable disparity. He alleged that approximately 12,050 votes were stolen from a total of 650,000 votes in the Mahadevpura assembly.