Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to “magically” create new voters and tilt election outcomes.
Speaking at a rally during his ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra, Gandhi said the Commission was selectively demanding an affidavit from him while ignoring similar statements made by BJP leaders.
“The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him,” Gandhi told the gathering.
‘One crore new voters in Maharashtra’
Citing the sequence of elections in Maharashtra earlier this year, Gandhi alleged irregularities in voter rolls. “Lok Sabha elections were held in Maharashtra, and INDIA alliance wins. Four months later, Vidhan Sabha elections were held and in the same Maharashtra, BJP alliance sweeps and our alliance was not visible. It disappears,” he said.
“When we investigated, we found out that Election Commission magically created one crore new voters in four months after Lok Sabha elections. Wherever new voters came, BJP won there. Our votes did not decrease. The INDIA alliance got as many votes in the Vidhan Sabha as it had in the Lok Sabha. BJP got all the new voters. So we got suspicious,” Gandhi added.
According to him, repeated queries to the Commission about the alleged surge in voter numbers were stonewalled. “We told Election Commission to explain this to us. Where did these one crore voters come from? Who are they? Election Commission tells us that we will not explain. We do not need you to explain,” he said.
Gandhi further accused the poll body of denying opposition parties access to surveillance and electoral data mandated by law. “Then we told them that you have installed CCTVs. The law is that CCTV cameras will have to be provided to any party asking for CCTV. They say they will not provide CCTV. Then we said give us the voter list. They say they will not provide the electronic voter list,” he claimed.
Charging the Commission with active collusion, he declared: “The Election Commission and the BJP together have committed theft in Bengaluru Central. I am telling you this with a guarantee.”
EC’s ultimatum to RaGa
His comments come just hours after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar issued a blunt ultimatum, asking Gandhi to either substantiate his allegations through a sworn affidavit or apologise publicly.
“Either you will have to submit an affidavit or apologise before the country. There’s no other option,” Kumar said on Sunday.
He also warned that unless Gandhi filed a declaration under oath within seven days, his claims would be treated as “baseless and invalid.”
The Commission’s sharp response was triggered by Gandhi’s repeated charges that the voter list revision exercise in Bihar and other states was designed to disenfranchise large numbers of opposition-leaning voters.
Speaking at a rally during his ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra, Gandhi said the Commission was selectively demanding an affidavit from him while ignoring similar statements made by BJP leaders.
“The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him,” Gandhi told the gathering.
#WATCH | Aurangabad, Bihar: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him."
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2025
"Lok Sabha elections were held in… pic.twitter.com/dNyaOI8z8W
‘One crore new voters in Maharashtra’
Citing the sequence of elections in Maharashtra earlier this year, Gandhi alleged irregularities in voter rolls. “Lok Sabha elections were held in Maharashtra, and INDIA alliance wins. Four months later, Vidhan Sabha elections were held and in the same Maharashtra, BJP alliance sweeps and our alliance was not visible. It disappears,” he said.
“When we investigated, we found out that Election Commission magically created one crore new voters in four months after Lok Sabha elections. Wherever new voters came, BJP won there. Our votes did not decrease. The INDIA alliance got as many votes in the Vidhan Sabha as it had in the Lok Sabha. BJP got all the new voters. So we got suspicious,” Gandhi added.
According to him, repeated queries to the Commission about the alleged surge in voter numbers were stonewalled. “We told Election Commission to explain this to us. Where did these one crore voters come from? Who are they? Election Commission tells us that we will not explain. We do not need you to explain,” he said.
Gandhi further accused the poll body of denying opposition parties access to surveillance and electoral data mandated by law. “Then we told them that you have installed CCTVs. The law is that CCTV cameras will have to be provided to any party asking for CCTV. They say they will not provide CCTV. Then we said give us the voter list. They say they will not provide the electronic voter list,” he claimed.
Charging the Commission with active collusion, he declared: “The Election Commission and the BJP together have committed theft in Bengaluru Central. I am telling you this with a guarantee.”
EC’s ultimatum to RaGa
His comments come just hours after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar issued a blunt ultimatum, asking Gandhi to either substantiate his allegations through a sworn affidavit or apologise publicly.
“Either you will have to submit an affidavit or apologise before the country. There’s no other option,” Kumar said on Sunday.
He also warned that unless Gandhi filed a declaration under oath within seven days, his claims would be treated as “baseless and invalid.”
The Commission’s sharp response was triggered by Gandhi’s repeated charges that the voter list revision exercise in Bihar and other states was designed to disenfranchise large numbers of opposition-leaning voters.
