During a recent interaction with the Indian diaspora in Boston, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, expressed serious concerns about the integrity of the Election Commission of India (EC). He alleged that the commission failed to provide accurate data during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, calling the system “compromised.”
“It is absolutely clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and something is fundamentally wrong with the electoral system,” Gandhi stated. “I’ve raised this issue multiple times. According to the EC’s own data, more people voted in Maharashtra than the total adult population of the state.”
Gandhi went on to claim that 65 lakh votes were recorded between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, which he argued was logistically impossible. “It takes about three minutes for a person to vote. If you calculate that, it would imply people were voting until 2 AM,” he said. He also alleged that the Congress party’s request for video surveillance footage of the voting process was denied, and claimed that legal provisions were altered to restrict access to such evidence.
In response, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra strongly condemned Gandhi’s remarks, accusing him of repeatedly tarnishing India’s image on foreign soil.
“Rahul Gandhi’s habit of criticizing the country abroad is nothing new. Today’s statement is just another chapter in a long history of such behavior,” said Patra. “He and his mother, who are out on bail, seem to believe that defaming India overseas puts them on the right side of history. But in reality, they are clearly on the wrong side.”
Patra emphasized that the Bharatiya Janata Party considers Gandhi’s comments an insult to the world’s largest democracy. The Election Commission, for its part, has previously dismissed similar accusations, asserting that allegations of electoral data manipulation are baseless and unfounded.
