Based on facts: INDIA bloc rallies behind LoP Rahul Gandhi’s ‘match-fixing’ allegations

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has received robust support from INDIA bloc allies following his explosive allegations of “match-fixing” in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

His opinion piece, published in a national daily, has stirred a political storm, with Opposition leaders asserting that the article lays bare the scale of electoral manipulation and the Election Commission’s failure to respond to legitimate concerns.

In his op-ed, Gandhi accused the BJP-led Mahayuti of engineering a large-scale rigging operation to win the elections, calling it a systematic subversion of democracy.

He reiterated the issues he had flagged earlier during his February 3 speech in Parliament and a press conference, stating that the 2024 Maharashtra polls reflected an unprecedented level of electoral malpractice.

Reacting to LoP Gandhi’s claims, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari told IANS, “He has not written anything new. Under his and Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership, a delegation was sent earlier. Step-by-step, we observed that the difference in votes between Parliament and Assembly elections widened drastically, with nearly all of those votes going to the BJP.”

“When voting was nearing its end in the evening, the turnout was low. But by the next morning, it had suddenly spiked. Rahul Gandhi has rightly said that this is nothing short of the murder of democracy. The Election Commission has not provided proper answers, but the public will respond to this betrayal,” he added.

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule also voiced her support, stating, “This morning, I discussed the article with Sharad Pawar. The Congress has already taken the issue to the Election Commission, and we, too, are watching closely to see what decision it takes.”

Congress leader Udit Raj stated that LoP Gandhi’s article was factual and added that it is unlikely voters could increase in such large numbers in just a few months.

“It is based on facts. The way the Election Commission made compromises and fake 36 to 37 lakh votes were added to the electoral roll within just five months. Such a high number hadn’t been added in even five years, let alone four. The Election Commission has not been able to give any explanation for this. So, it is clearly a dishonest government,” he told IANS.

“And when mock polling started, the local administration didn’t allow it to continue. If they have the courage, let them conduct mock polling across the entire country, then the truth will come out. They (BJP) will see that they have lost Haryana and Maharashtra,” he added.

Congress leader Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar said Gandhi’s claims were based on facts.

“He has written the truth. The Maharashtra elections were manipulated through match-fixing, and he has backed his assertions with evidence. He has tracked the pattern since 2009. In this election, voter numbers rose by 9 per cent, which is implausible. He cited Kamathi Assembly as an example, where votes grew by 17 to 18 thousand over five years — but surged by 35,000 in just five months,” he said.

RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari added, “What Rahul Gandhi is saying is absolutely right. The public is also discussing this — people believe the BJP rigs elections, whether it was in Maharashtra or in Bihar in 2020. Everyone saw how the mandate was going to Tejashwi Yadav and the Mahagathbandhan, but things were overturned.”

“There are many such examples that cast doubt on the credibility of the process. The Election Commission must respond clearly and transparently to the questions raised by the Opposition,” Tiwari told IANS.

Gujarat Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani also backed the LoP, stating, “Many voter names were deleted, and suddenly lakhs of new voters appeared. We also suspect EVM tampering. Even Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed this concern. These elections saw the misuse of money, police, administration, and agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax department. The RSS and BJP governments are distorting the entire election process in every possible way.”

Gandhi’s article, which he shared on social media, outlines what he described as a step-by-step method used by the BJP to fix the outcome — from manipulating the panel appointing the Election Commission to inflating voter rolls and silencing scrutiny of irregularities.

Calling the rise in voter turnout after polling hours “unprecedented,” he claimed that over 76 lakh extra votes were inexplicably added, helping the BJP dominate in 85 critical constituencies.

IANS