Rahul Gandhi said there is 100% proof of electoral roll manipulation in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment that comes under the Bengaluru Lok Sabha constituency and challenged the ECI to reveal data, videos.
Published Aug 08, 2025 | 3:48 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2025 | 4:05 PM
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing the 'Vote Adhikar Rally' in Bengaluru on Friday, 8 August. (INCIndia/X)
Synopsis: Rahul Gandhi demanded that the ECI release 10 years’ national election data and video records. Accusing the ECI of hiding a big crime by refusing to share the electronic voter lists, he said, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister by stealing votes.
Reiterating his allegation of widespread rigging of the 2024 general elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 8 August, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP stole the Lok Sabha from Karnataka.
Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, demanded that the ECI release 10 years’ national election data and video records. Accusing the ECI of hiding a big crime by refusing to share the electronic voter lists, he said, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister by stealing votes.
He was addressing a protest rally — the Vote Adhikar Rally — at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, a day after he raised the allegation of electoral roll fraud in Karnataka and other states. The rally was organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
The Congress leader said his party suspected “something was wrong” after it did not win 16 seats as anticipated. The party won only nine seats.
Gandhi said there was 100 percent proof of electoral roll manipulation in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment that comes under the Bengaluru Lok Sabha constituency. The party, he said, conducted a six-month investigation to unearth the voter fraud.
He urged the Karnataka government to launch an investigation into the “criminal act” of voter fraud and initiate action against those responsible. He also put forward a series of questions for the ECI.
“Instead of threatening me and my party, answer these questions first,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi also pointed out that the EC websites of Bihar and Maharashtra were shut down after the party made the voter fraud charge.
“They know that if Indians start asking questions like this, then their entire structure will collapse,” he said.
The Congress leader further demanded that the ECI officers, who have given the right to vote to duplicate voters, must also be questioned. “If EC doesn’t do this, then they are aiding the BJP in committing the crime,” he added.
Addressing the media in New Delhi on Thursday, 7 August, the MP from Rae Bareli said the BJP “stole” about one lakh votes through illegal means that violated the Constitution’s “one person, one vote” norm. He termed it a criminal act against the people of Karnataka.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the Election Commission for demanding an affidavit from Rahul Gandhi on the allegations he had levelled.
Rahul Gandhi had claimed that 1,00,250 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura, which had 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 others with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk or single-address voters, 4,132 with fake photographs, and 33,692 voters who misused Form 6 meant for new voters.
His allegations, which the Election Commission of India has dismissed as “baseless”, came at a time when there is growing criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, adding to scrutiny over the conduct of elections in India.
The party leaders will be heading to the Central Election Commission in Delhi and submit a memorandum reiterating these allegations along with evidence on Monday, 11 August.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and other leaders attended the rally.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
