On August 7, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, made some startling allegations about “systemic electoral fraud” and the inclusion of one lakh two thousand and fifty “fake and bogus votes” in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. The number of “votes stolen”, as alleged by Gandhi, was more than the 32,707-vote margin of victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, P.C. Mohan, now a four-time MP who has consistently won this seat since 2009.
What Gandhi Has Said
While discrepancies in electoral rolls are a recognised evil that the Election Commission constantly tries to rectify with revision of rolls, the allegation being made by Gandhi is of “complicity” by the Commission itself, in allowing the one lakh-odd “votes” in Mahadevapura to favour the ruling BJP's candidate. While Rahul Gandhi has been the face of the charge, the Congress candidate who lost in Bengaluru Central, Mansoor Ali Khan, an influential local political figure with financial backing, is the one who invested his resources to conduct an exhaustive exercise for gathering the evidence to back the allegations.
Gandhi has also stated that there were issues with seats in some other states too, essentially alleging that the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were the product of this manipulation and that the opposition was “robbed” of a victory in these seats.
A breakdown of the "fake" votes polled in Mahadevpura, as alleged by Rahul Gandhi
The BJP has categorically declared that Gandhi is crying foul and making irresponsible accusations for political reasons. The respective electoral officers, in turn, have demanded that he give his allegations under oath, in an affidavit, for the record.
Types of "fraud", as per Rahul Gandhi
Irrespective of the political exchange, the very fact that the allegations have been made by the LoP warrants a clear investigation and response. An investigation by a panel of former Election Commissioners and, perhaps, monitored by the apex court, could be an option.
It is obvious that such doubts cast upon the Election Commission need to be put down. It is not enough for these allegations to be fought merely at a political level. Gandhi must be held accountable - if he is proven wrong - for the allegations he has made. But the EC must also be held accountable if such serious lapses are indeed found. For instance, independent media reports corroborate that there is a small house with 80 non-existent voters registered to it.
Two Critical Questions
Having stated that, there are two questions here: one, why have these allegations been made more than a year after the Lok Sabha election results? And two, what impact will this have on the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar?
The first question is important. India has a long history of losing candidates challenging electoral malpractices and even winning in courts, the most prominent of such cases being Indira Gandhi versus Raj Narain in 1975.
Given this history, it was perhaps incumbent on the Congress and its candidate, Mansoor Ali Khan, to have moved the courts as soon as they became aware of the issue. Also, the fact that Gandhi has made a public declaration before moving the courts or the EC on this specific case shows that the aim is to embarrass the EC and the ruling establishment more than to set right the outcome of 2024.
A Bigger Debate
The aim of the opposition should be to work with the EC to make it better, not to embarrass and demolish its credibility. This is a dangerous trajectory and could lead to far-reaching consequences. However, the Congress seems to be on a warpath with the EC and says that it has lost faith in the individuals at the helm of the institution.
There are victories the Congress has enjoyed under the same Election Commission - like the stupendous one in Karnataka in 2023, as also the ones in Telangana, Kerala, and to its allies, the DMK and TMC, in 2024. So, an all-out attack on the EC may seem a tad excessive.
The clear and present agenda of the Opposition is to stall the SIR process in Bihar. Though ironically, if anything, Gandhi's latest allegations only underscore the need for such an exercise. Also, the SIR process is not the only thing on the Opposition's agenda. The INDIA alliance had seemingly resigned itself to the 2024 election results. Gandhi's latest allegations, then, are aimed not at undoing that outcome, but at utilising this churn in the next political battle.
Restoring Trust
Unfortunately, the doubts raised over the election process are both dangerous and disheartening for those who truly believe in the democratic process. The trust in the timing and the process of SIR seems to have been dented. Amidst Rahul's allegations, it's important that the poll body's transparency is demonstrated effectively, and categorical, evidence-based response is encouraged, including by former Election Commissioners.
More than scoring political points and targeting Rahul Gandhi, restoring absolute faith in the institution, irrespective of the individuals involved, is the need of the hour.
(The author is Executive Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
