'Election Commission is compromised', says Rahul Gandhi in US; BJP hits back

Speaking in the US, Rahul alleged voting malpractices which he claimed to have taken place in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections where the Congress and its allies were decimated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition.

The Congress leader said, "It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that there is something wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times...More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in Maharashtra. The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5:30 pm and between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible to happen."

"For a voter to vote, it takes approx 3 minutes, and if you do the Math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 AM, but this did not happen...When we asked them for the video graphy, they not only refused but they also changed the law so that now we are not allowed to ask for the video graphy...," he added.

Countering the LoP, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra taunted Rahul questioning whether the Congress won multiple state elections and even improved its tally to 99 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls with a compromised Election Commission.

Patra said, "Rahul-ji, Jharkhand elections were also held simultaneously. Did you compromise with the Election Commission? Did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra win through a bypoll at the same time with an understanding with the Election Commission or due to hard work?

"The Congress boasted of its 99 seats and painted BJP's tally of 240 seats as a defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Was the Election Commission compromised then? In the same Lok Sabha elections, Congress and its allies got more seats than the BJP-led alliance. Was it also compromised?"

The Mahayuti alliance secured a dominant victory in the November 20, 2024 elections, winning 230 out of 288 Assembly seats.

The BJP emerged as the largest party with a record 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

In less than a year after upsetting the Mahayuti in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi bagged 46 out of 288 seats.

The Congress, which was one of the key players in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, won only 16 seats.

Responding to Rahul's allegations, Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader, Devendra Fadnavis, had earlier said, "Rahul Gandhi is doing a cover firing because he is aware of his party's imminent defeat in the Delhi elections."