Rahul Gandhi Unveils Allegations of Electoral Fraud in Haryana: A Deep Dive into the Claims
Allegations of Electoral Manipulation
New Delhi: On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised serious concerns regarding the electoral list in Haryana, alleging that approximately 2.5 million entries were fraudulent. He claimed that the assembly elections held last year were compromised, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to secure their victory.
As the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi stated that he is challenging the integrity of the Election Commission and the democratic framework of the nation, asserting that he possesses undeniable evidence.
He accused the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the two other election commissioners of conspiring with the BJP to manipulate the election results in Haryana, suggesting a partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gandhi referred to this alleged scheme as 'Operation Sarkar Chori', which he claimed was designed to overturn a significant Congress victory into a defeat in Haryana.
He further alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar misled the public by claiming that house number zero is assigned to homeless individuals, questioning the validity of such statements.
During a press conference at Indira Bhawan, Gandhi presented data from the Haryana electoral list, asserting that 2,541,144 entries were fraudulent, citing instances of duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations.
'Why hasn’t the Election Commission eliminated these duplicates?' he questioned, suggesting that their inaction indicates a desire to avoid fair elections.
'All indicators pointed towards a Congress win in Haryana. The top five exit polls predicted a sweeping victory for Congress. Interestingly, for the first time, the postal votes differed from the final results, with Congress reportedly securing 73 seats compared to the BJP's 17,' he noted.
Gandhi claimed that numerous individuals affiliated with the BJP cast votes in both Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
During the press conference, he displayed an image of a woman listed as a voter 22 times across 10 different booths in the Rai assembly constituency, asserting that this exemplifies a 'centralized operation'.
He alleged that the image of this woman, used for multiple voter entries, originated from Brazil.
According to Gandhi, this woman is one of 2.5 million such records in Haryana, serving as evidence of a coordinated effort to manipulate the electoral process.
He stated that one in every eight voters in Haryana is fraudulent, and despite this, Congress lost by a margin of 22,779 votes across eight seats.
'I was astounded; I could hardly believe our findings. I instructed my team to verify the data multiple times. I urge the younger generation, especially Gen Z, to grasp this situation as your future is at stake,' Gandhi emphasized.
He alleged that there was a systematic plan to transform a decisive Congress victory into a loss in Haryana.
Gandhi also shared a video featuring Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who, just two days before the counting, confidently stated that the BJP would emerge victorious, claiming, 'we have a system in place.'
'Our suspicions grew when we examined Mahadevapura and Aland, leading us to believe that this manipulation was not confined to a single constituency but was occurring at both state and national levels,' he remarked.
In September, Gandhi had previously accused CEC Kumar of shielding those who 'undermine democracy', citing data from the Karnataka Assembly constituency of Aland to assert that votes belonging to Congress supporters were being systematically erased ahead of elections.
In August, he had claimed that over 100,000 votes were 'stolen' through manipulation in the Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Election Commission, however, dismissed these allegations as 'incorrect and baseless', asserting that no votes could be deleted without providing an opportunity for the affected individuals to be heard.
In the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP secured 48 seats, while Congress, despite predictions of victory from various exit polls, managed to win only 37 seats. The INLD obtained two seats, and independent candidates won three in the 90-member Assembly.