Rahul Gandhi Cites Constitutional Oath While Defying EC Over Vote Theft Row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reaffirmed his allegations of electoral malpractice, rebutting the Election Commission’s demand for a sworn affidavit after his claims of “vote theft” emerged.

He accused the Election Commission of India (EC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of collusion that enabled “a huge criminal fraud” during the 2024 polls. At a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi presented data pertaining to the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Bengaluru, claiming that 1,00,250 votes were illicitly manipulated, citing 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 with fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters at single addresses, 4,132 with invalid photographs, and 33,692 cases involving improper use of Form 6 for new registrations.

In response, electoral authorities in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana requested that he submit a formal declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The letter instructed him to provide names of allegedly mis-registered electors to enable the initiation of necessary proceedings under the legal framework, highlighting that false declarations may lead to imprisonment under relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act and the Penal Code.

During a rally in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi countered the demand, stating: “The Election Commission demands an affidavit from me. It says that I must take an oath. I have already taken the oath of the Constitution in Parliament”. He further insisted that the EC had shut down its websites in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar precisely as the public began demanding transparency, which he claimed would expose vulnerabilities in the system.

Reiterating his earlier stance, Gandhi demanded that the EC furnish the complete electronic voter list. He argued that access to such data is essential for verifying his allegations and defending democratic integrity. In a further post on X, Gandhi declared: “Vote theft is not just an electoral scam, it is a major betrayal committed against the Constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this times will change, punishment will surely be meted out”.

The confrontation underscores deepening political tensions ahead of future elections, as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha continues to press for accountability and disputes over the legitimacy of electoral processes.