Published Sep 24, 2026 | 6:06 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2026 | 6:33 PM
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi addressing the press.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, September 24, doubled down on his “vote chori” allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling BJP.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi came down heavily on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and stated that the alleged vote theft has destroyed the democratic architecture of the country.
“These are deshdrohis. A person who attacks the vote is a traitor. I’m not saying this lightly. For three years I’ve been saying this. I have used facts for it. The fact is that the PM and HM have attacked the democratic architecture of this country,” Gandhi said.
“This thing Gyanesh Kumar has done is against the Indian nation. Not some small rigging. This is an attack against the Constitution of India,” he said.
Gandhi questioned why anti-incumbency, which he described as the biggest political force in India, has vanished during the BJP tenure.
“In India there there is a force called anti incumbency which starts to resist any government. It doesn’t spare anybody. Indira Gandhi ji won the Bangladesh war. And within a year or two, massive anti-incumbency and pressure. The same happens to leaders after leaders. For some reason, it doesn’t happen to Narendra Modi, Mr Shah, or the BJP,” he said.
He showed photos of PM Modi, Shah, Gyanesh Kumar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Buisinessman Adani and named them key conspirators in the alleged destruction of democracy in the country.
“All elections are being rigged. The top of the list has conspirators. Mr Gyanesh is sitting there. Two election commissioners are raising questions on that man. I have been raising questions, but they were ignored,” he said.
Gandhi said the country is facing an unprecedented crisis.
“We are sitting in a place where we have never been. Which is, our elections are fundamentally broken. The laws are under question, and the capture of institutions is also under question. And this is the first time in independent India that we are here,” he said.
The Congress leader stressed that those responsible for the destruction of democracy will face action. He also called for the resignation of the CEC and urged him to turn an approver.
“There are going to be consequences to this. We are not going to let democracy be destroyed. People responsible will be punished. The two ECs have done a wise thing. I appreciate it. Mr Kumar should turn approver. That would be an act of nationalism. We know what has happened and we’ll reveal it,” Gandhi said.
“I’d like to end by saying that the PM and Amit Shah will be investigated for what is being done. Without any doubt. They are at the top of the conspiracy. This is an act against Indian state and its people. We can’t sit silent,” he added.
“In the next two-three months, you will see what will happen,” Gandhi said.
Responding to a question, Gandhi claimed that what the Congress party had been saying for three years has now been accepted by the two Election Commissioners.
“The Congress party was saying this. Now the Election Commission is saying it. We have entered a new space. Earlier, the institution was denying it; now they’ve accepted it,”
Gandhi’s press conference came after an investigative report by the Indian Express found that key decisions concerning the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the ECI were taken without the knowledge of, or despite objections from, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
According to the report, the Election Commissioners formally objected at least 14 times in the past 10 months to decisions on the SIR that were taken without their knowledge or against their recommendations.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
