Congress leader claims a five-step blueprint was used to steal the 2024 Maharashtra polls, while BJP accuses him of spreading chaos.
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sparked a fierce political row by alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) orchestrated large-scale electoral fraud in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. In a detailed op-ed titled Match-Fixing Maharashtra, shared on X, Gandhi outlined a five-step process he claims was used to manipulate results, warning that similar tactics could target Bihar’s upcoming polls. The BJP has hit back, dismissing the accusations as a deliberate attempt to undermine India’s institutions.
Rahul’s Five-Step Allegation of Electoral Fraud
Gandhi’s article, published in The Indian Express, accuses the BJP of undermining democracy through a calculated strategy. He lists the steps as:
- Rigging the Election Commission Panel: Gandhi claims the 2023 amendment to the Election Commissioners Appointment Act replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister in the selection committee, tilting it in the government’s favor. “Why remove a neutral arbiter?” he questioned.
- Adding Fake Voters: He alleges 41 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra’s rolls between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, compared to 31 lakh over five years prior, citing anomalies like 7,000 voters registered in a single Shirdi building.
- Inflating Voter Turnout: Gandhi points to a 7.83% turnout surge (76 lakh votes) after 5 p.m. on polling day, calling it unprecedented. In Kamthi, he claims 35,000 new voters disproportionately boosted BJP’s tally by 56,000 votes.
- Targeting Bogus Voting: He alleges fake votes were directed to 12,000 booths in 85 constituencies where BJP previously underperformed.
- Hiding Evidence: Gandhi accuses the Election Commission (EC) of denying voter roll and CCTV footage access, noting a post-election rule change restricting such data.
Gandhi warns, “Match-fixing in Maharashtra will spread to Bihar and wherever BJP is losing. Rigged elections are poison for democracy.”
BJP’s Counterattack
BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya retorted on X, accusing Gandhi of sowing chaos rather than seeking clarity. “When Congress wins, like in Karnataka, the system is fair. When they lose, from Haryana to Maharashtra, they cry conspiracy,” Malviya wrote. He labeled Gandhi’s claims as inspired by “George Soros’ playbook” to erode trust in institutions. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis earlier dismissed similar allegations, urging Congress to focus on strategy rather than excuses.
The EC has refuted Gandhi’s claims, stating voter turnout increases are routine due to data aggregation and that Form 17C ensures transparency. It noted only 89 appeals were filed against Maharashtra’s 9.7 crore voter list, undermining claims of mass manipulation.
Electoral Context and Data Analysis
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won a landslide 235 of 288 seats in November 2024, with BJP securing 132 seats, its best-ever performance in Maharashtra. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress (16 seats), Shiv Sena (UBT) (20), and NCP (SP) (10), suffered a crushing defeat, despite a strong Lok Sabha showing earlier.
Gandhi’s claims hinge on voter data: Maharashtra’s electorate grew from 8.98 crore in 2019 to 9.70 crore in 2024, with 41 lakh added in five months. However, historical data shows similar spikes—27 lakh in 2009 and 30 lakh in 2014—suggesting such increases align with population growth and voter registration drives. The EC also clarified that duplicate EPIC numbers result from administrative updates, not fraud.
Public and Expert Reactions
Posts on X reflect polarized sentiments. Supporters like @SamKhasa_ hailed Gandhi for exposing fraud, while critics accused him of deflecting Congress’s failures. Political analyst Yogendra Yadav noted that while voter list discrepancies warrant scrutiny, conclusive evidence of rigging remains absent. A 2024 Pew Research study on global electoral trust suggests such allegations, if unproven, risk eroding public faith in democracy.
Implications for Bihar and Beyond
Gandhi’s warning about Bihar, where elections are due later in 2025, has intensified opposition calls for electoral reforms. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge previously advocated returning to ballot papers, terming EVMs a “disadvantage” for the opposition. The controversy underscores ongoing debates over EVM reliability and EC autonomy, with potential to shape voter sentiment in upcoming polls.
