Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday intensified his attacks on the BJP and the Election Commission over the issue of “vote theft.”
In a highly anticipated press conference held in Delhi, he alleged alleged voter list rigging, citing examples from Karnataka and Maharashtra assembly constituencies.
Rahul claimed that centralized software was used in the entire process and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of “protecting those who are destroying Indian democracy.”
Rahul said he has “black and white” evidence. Gandhi has been the most aggressive on the issue of vote theft. His recent “Voter Rights Yatra” in Bihar received a good response, and many Congress leaders believe he is raising the right issue.
Senior party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “We don’t want to fall into the BJP’s trap. Going to court will only leave the matter subjudice. Our job is to expose rigging, and the Election Commission’s job is to present evidence.”
Conflicted Opinions in the Congress
According to a report in the Indian Express, not everyone within the party is comfortable with this aggressive stance. Many leaders believe that Rahul’s campaign could appear to challenge the very legitimacy of Indian democracy.
At the same time, some leaders worry that focusing too much on “vote theft” could distract Congress from more concrete issues like social justice, employment, and corruption.
A former working committee member said, “Rahul is essentially saying that Indian democracy itself is based on rigging. This is a very serious message. Some discrepancies in the data are natural. But it’s not necessary to call it a national conspiracy.”
Many leaders are unsure of the ultimate goal of Gandhi’s strategy. Given the allegations that have surfaced after Thursday’s promise of “explosive revelations,” some believe that this campaign will be difficult to sustain in the long run.
When Rahul Gandhi was asked at a press conference whether he would go to court on this issue, he did not give a clear answer. The party has also not made any concrete demands following the vote theft allegations.
Lack of grassroots organization?
Some former Congress leaders believe that Rahul’s campaign is actually an attempt to cover up organizational weaknesses.
They cited the Mahadevapura constituency in Karnataka, where Rahul alleged that 100,000 “extra” votes were added. The leader said, “If such a massive discrepancy occurred, what were your booth-level workers and agents doing? This shows that the organization exists only on paper.”
Bihar Election Background
Before the Bihar elections, Congress campaigned on issues like migration, unemployment, and paper leaks. However, after the Election Commission initiated the Special Revision Process (SIR) of the voter list, the party’s focus shifted to “vote theft.”
According to party leaders, this issue is not proving to be as effective at the grassroots level, and pthere are fears that people may forget it as the elections approach. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor’s campaign is engaging youth with direct issues like jobs and education, which has Congress strategists worried.
Rahul Gandhi is now trying to link the issue of “vote theft” to welfare schemes, portraying it as directly relevant to the lives of ordinary people. The strategy is that deletion of names from the voter list means exclusion from beneficiary schemes.
NBut questions arise within the Congress party as to whether this message will last and be sufficiently clear until the elections.
Overall, Rahul Gandhi’s new campaign is energizing the Congress party while also raising several questions. Will this strategy put the BJP in the dock, or will it have an adverse effect by creating an atmosphere of doubt on the legitimacy of democracy itself – the answer to this will be given only by the upcoming election results.
