- Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Election Commission is "fixed", and that there's "vote manipulation"
- Congress-led INDIA bloc now plans rallies, demands reforms; but no boycott announced
- Experts say boycotts rarely succeed but have an impact sometimes, and explain that it's all about the context
If you say the umpire is fixed, why play? Sounds simple enough. Only, it isn't.
For months now, Rahul Gandhi has argued that the Election Commission of India is fixed. He has alleged "vote chori" from Karnataka to Haryana to Maharashtra, carried the charge on a yatra across Bihar, and recently told Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to "turn approver", claiming there's a case of voter-list manipulation.
"Today elections are fundamentally broken, and the laws passed by the Parliament thus are illegal, because the vote has been destroyed," said the Leader of Opposition, claiming vindication after The Indian Express revealed dissent within the EC. The EC's clarifications later triggered an instant Congress response: "Fundamental questions remain unanswered."
But a fundamental question came Rahul Gandhi's way, too, at his 'gotcha' press conference: Will the Congress boycott the elections? Rahul first delivered a quick precis of his arguments, and then responded to the b-word with a d-word. "Distraction mein nahin jaaunga. I will avoid the distraction. But thank you," he quipped, sidestepping the question of possibly boycotting elections he called "fixed".
The Congress-led opposition parties' INDIA bloc has now announced marches and rallies on the issue. "Our collective opinion is that [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, [Home Minister] Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar stole elections. We are not going to take this lying down," Rahul said after a meeting of the bloc on September 30.
Nothing announced involved a boycott.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, has said internal objections over the SIR and other issues were routine. "Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution," its press note read.
The BJP has denied any manipulation and said the Congress's situation is simply that of a sore loser.
The Opposition has tried multiple routes to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar. In April, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla refused to admit notices to seek a vote on Gyanesh Kumar's fate. Even if admitted, a removal motion would need a Special Majority in both Houses, which the INDIA bloc does not have. Legal challenges to the 2023 law on EC appointments are pending in the Supreme Court.
Also Read: Gyanesh Kumar Has An Immunity Pin. Why A Petition Says He Can't Use It
The street is the battlefront now.
After the September 30 INDIA bloc meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a mass movement. He set out five demands: return to the pre-SIR voter rolls; a clear right of appeal before any deletion; protections against exclusion due to administrative failures; simpler registration for first-time voters; and a return to ballot papers over electronic voting machines (EVMs).
"Our fight against vote chori will not remain behind closed doors," the party posted on social media.
A protest march is planned to the Election Commission office in Delhi on October 6. Rallies across districts will then be followed by a mega gathering in the national capital on November 1. The AAP and DMK, though speaking against the BJP, did not join the INDIA bloc meeting but have alleged voter manipulation. The CJP, the avowedly "apolitical" and "non-electoral" organisation that says elections should be boycotted, has its own rally scheduled for October 2, drawing support from some parties. Some other activists are planning a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi too.
As for votes, the next big round of Assembly elections, in early 2027, includes the massive heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP has been in power since 2017.
While Rahul Gandhi has called the boycott question a distraction, an argument he delivered a year ago still describes his party's approach: "My work is to participate in the democratic system. My work is not to protect the democratic system. That is the work of the institutions in India. And they are not doing it."
