MK Stalin Backs Rahul Gandhi's "Vote Theft" Charge, Slams BJP, Election Commission

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Monday launched a blistering attack on the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging that the poll body had been "turned into the BJP's poll rigging machinery." His remarks came minutes before Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi led INDIA bloc MPs in a march from Parliament to the EC headquarters in Delhi over alleged large-scale voter-roll manipulation in Karnataka's Mahadevapura constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"What happened in Mahadevapura is not an administrative lapse; it's a calculated conspiracy to steal the people's mandate," Mr Stalin said in a statement on X, endorsing Mr Gandhi's allegations and demanding an independent probe, a machine-readable voter roll for every state, and an end to what he called "politically driven deletions."

In an unprecedented allegation against the poll panel, Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged there were over 1,00,000 fake votes in Mahadevapura, facilitated through five methods - duplicate entries, fake and invalid addresses, bulk voters at a single address, invalid photos, and misuse of Form 6. Rejecting the EC's demand that his claims be submitted under oath, Mr Gandhi said his statements as an MP - having taken oath on the Constitution - already met that standard.

The Congress party is now alleging a direct link between a surge in voter registrations and the BJP's victory in Mahadevapura, a claim it supports with a comprehensive analysis by Rahul Gandhi. This assertion, however, echoes similar, though less-documented, allegations made by the party following the Maharashtra Assembly election. 

Critics say the EC's practice of releasing voter information as bulky PDFs rather than searchable, machine-readable lists severely hampers independent verification. "The Election Commission is not a court," former finance minister P. Chidambaram noted, underlining concerns that the EC's handling of the matter has caused a major dent in its credibility and public trust.

The controversy has intensified calls for an independent probe and comprehensive electoral roll reform - including door-to-door verification and the publication of machine-readable rolls - to prevent politically driven deletions and ensure transparent audits. 

The EC has responded sharply to all of charges, insisting its procedures are transparent and are meant to ensure free-and-fair elections. It has also hit back hard at Rahul Gandhi and his allegations, demanding he state his claims in a signed affidavit and provide proof.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi has dismissed Mr Gandhi's claims as baseless and accused him of demeaning constitutional institutions.

In Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar submitted a formal complaint to the state Chief Electoral Officer. With Tamil Nadu due for polls in 2026, the DMK's vocal stance signals an attempt to pre-empt any similar controversies closer to home.