Amidst the political fervor of the Bihar Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is aggressively addressing the issue of 'vote theft.' On Thursday, for the second time, Rahul criticized Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, presenting evidence of vote tampering. Is Rahul Gandhi capitalizing on Karnataka and Maharashtra's vote anomalies to bolster his stance in Bihar's assembly elections?
On August 7th, Rahul Gandhi first highlighted discrepancies in voter lists in Karnataka and Maharashtra. On Thursday, he reiterated his claims with fresh evidence of vote rigging in these states. He pointed a finger at the Election Commission, accusing it of deliberately targeting and removing Congress votes.
Rahul Gandhi stressed that he's providing undeniable proof of how votes from Dalits, backward classes, and minorities are being erased. He specified that 6,018 votes were omitted from Karnataka's Aland constituency and questioned the addition of 6,850 votes in Maharashtra’s Rajura seat, suggesting a pattern of systematic vote tampering.
Gandhi presents evidence in Karnataka and Maharashtra
Rahul Gandhi articulated that in Aland, a Karnataka assembly area, unauthorized attempts were made to delete 6,018 votes. The total votes wiped out could exceed this number, he claimed. During his presentation, he invited a Kannada voter, Suryakant, on stage who alleged that 12 votes registered under his name were scrubbed without his knowledge.
Suryakant revealed that he was unaware of multiple deletions linked to his name, as he hadn’t initiated any such request. Additionally, Rahul Gandhi showcased a video of a woman named Godabai, who too faced similar deletions. This brought to light broader vote tampering in Karnataka.
Rahul Gandhi decried that while the same system was used to remove votes in Aland, it facilitated the addition of voters in Maharashtra’s Rajura. He stated that 6,850 names were fraudulently added in Rajura.
The discovery of discrepancies
According to Rahul Gandhi, a booth-level officer noticed that her uncle’s vote was removed. Upon investigation, it emerged that her uncle’s neighbor was accused but unaware of any such actions. Hence, neither the alleged doer nor the affected were privy to this deletion.
Gandhi alleged that an external force manipulated the system to remove these votes, with the number assigned originating from outside Karnataka. Using sophisticated software, automatic applications were filed, targeting Congress voters by utilizing mobile numbers from various states, aimed at reshuffling voters in Aland.
Gandhi further questioned why he was leveling direct allegations at Gyanesh Kumar. A probe in Karnataka is underway, with the state’s CID having sent 18 letters to the Election Commission seeking simplistic facts.
The CID demanded: first, the destination IP from where forms were submitted; second, the device destination port used for these applications; and third, crucially, the OTP trails that are ordinarily part of form submission. Over the past 18 months, 18 letters were sent to the Commission, all unanswered.
Elections took place in Karnataka in 2023 and in Maharashtra in 2024. With the Congress now governing Karnataka, it’s suggested that Rahul Gandhi has adeptly identified alleged vote thefts. Maharashtra faced a five-month gap between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, witnessing Congress’s triumph in the former and defeat in the latter, prompting Gandhi to dissect the causes thoroughly.
By bringing evidence of vote mismanagement in Karnataka and Maharashtra, Gandhi aimed to strengthen his influence in the Bihar Assembly elections. He emphasized the systematic erasure of Dalit and OBC votes. This approach was mirrored in Bihar during the 'Voter Rights March' focused on addressing the SIR issue, ultimately questioning the Election Commission's integrity.
During the Bihar elections, Gandhi alongside Tejashwi Yadav launched the 'Voter Rights March' against the voter list’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). It aimed at highlighting anomalies, dubbed 'vote theft.' Gandhi persistently accused BJP and the Election Commission of conspiracy.
He alleged that visible defects in Karnataka and Maharashtra’s voter lists were being ignored, accusing the EC of shielding 'vote thieves.' Moreover, he maintained possessing solid proof backing his claims, sparking national discussion in press conferences and rallies.
As Bihar’s elections loomed, Congress leaders predicted maximum political advantage from Gandhi's allegations. He tried converting the 'vote theft' issue into a significant agenda in Bihar, setting the BJP and Election Commission as his primary targets, implying BJP's purported democratic malpractice using votes as their stratagem.
Addressing at the campaign's conclusion in Bihar, Gandhi stated, 'A hydrogen bomb is mightier than an atom bomb, and it's about to detonate. The truth about vote theft will soon unveil nationwide. Post blast, even Narendra Modi will find it hard to save face.' A statement echoed in his Rai Bareilly constituency. On Thursday, he added that the hydrogen bomb is forthcoming, with the vote-theft truth due to be exposed in the coming months.
