Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday leveled a significant accusation of 'tampering' in the elections. He detailed how the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were allegedly manipulated to benefit BJP, labeling it 'How to Steal an Election?'. In response, the BJP strongly hit back.
Rahul shared an article titled 'Match-Fixing Maharashtra' that appeared in an English newspaper on the social media platform X. In it, he outlined step-by-step how, in his view, the elections were manipulated under the name 'How to Steal an Election?'.
On X, Rahul wrote that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a carefully orchestrated plan to undermine democracy. He further alleged that BJP's attention is now on the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, slated for the end of this year.
Rahul Gandhi mentioned that the match-fixing that occurred in Maharashtra will also transpire in Bihar and will spread to every place where BJP is losing.
Rahul accused BJP of executing a five-phase strategy to influence and benefit from the Maharashtra Assembly elections. In his article, he argued that the Modi government tilted the balance in favor of the central government by amending the laws related to the appointment of election commissioners in 2023.
He called this manipulation 'tampering with the umpire appointment panel' and noted that the new law-based selection committee comprised the Prime Minister, a central cabinet minister, and the Leader of Opposition/the leading opposition party in the Lok Sabha. This committee then recommends names to the President for Chief Election Commissioner or election commissioners.
Rahul questioned why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection committee and replaced with a cabinet minister. He wrote, asking yourself, why would anyone remove a neutral judge from an impartial institution and place their own person instead?
In his article's caption, Rahul Gandhi wrote, 'How to Steal an Election? The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a carefully orchestrated plan to harm democracy. My article explains how this happened, step-by-step...'
Step 1:
Tamper with the panel that appoints the Election Commission.
Step 2:
Add fake names to the voter list.
Step 3:
Inflate turnout figures.
Step 4:
Conduct fraudulent voting where BJP needs to win.
Step 5:
Conceal the evidence.
Rahul further commented, it's not hard to understand why BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra, but rigging elections is like match-fixing. The team that cheats might win the game, but it damages institutions and erodes public trust in the results.
Source: aajtak
He suggested, every informed Indian should examine this evidence. Evaluate independently and demand answers because this match-fixing in Maharashtra will be replicated in Bihar and elsewhere... where BJP is losing. Rigged elections are toxic to any democracy.
BJP Hits Back...
BJP leader Amit Malviya reposted Rahul's post on X, asserting that it's not that Rahul Gandhi doesn't know how the electoral process works. He is fully aware. But his goal is not clarity, it's chaos. He is deliberately trying to sow seeds of doubt and confusion regarding our institutional framework in the minds of voters consistently. When Congress wins elections... be it Telangana or Karnataka. The system is then portrayed as just and fair. But when there is a loss... from Haryana to Maharashtra... the crying, whining, and conspiracy theories start, and every single time.
Malviya added, this is all borrowed from George Soros's playbook. Systematically erode people's confidence in their own institutions to weaken them from within for political gain. India's democracy is strong. Its institutions are capable, and Indian voters are wise. No amount of manipulation will change this fundamental truth.
Indeed, during the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition alliance INDIA secured a resounding victory in Maharashtra. However, a few months later, the assembly election results came in, leading to a significant defeat for the Congress, Uddhav Sena, and Pawar faction. These outcomes left electoral experts surprised. They completely failed to gauge the BJP's wave in the state.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the unity of opposition parties surprised BJP, whereas the assembly results dashed the opposition's hopes. The outcomes not only shocked Congress and its alliance but also revealed major miscalculations in gauging ground realities and the public mandate.
