NEW DELHI: The BJP on Sunday collectively attacked the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA block for making "baseless allegations" against the Election Commission of India (ECI), attempting to undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions.
The BJP said the Election Commission had already held a joint press conference and issued point-by-point, fact-based clarifications on the allegations raised by the Opposition. Despite this, the party alleged that Congress and its allies were continuing their campaign to discredit constitutional institutions following repeated electoral setbacks.
BJP leaders and chief ministers across several BJP ruled states held press conferences and publicly challenged the allegations, arguing that the controversy surrounding the electoral process and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used to create confusion among voters.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a sharp attack on Gandhi, saying, “No votes have been stolen; Rahul Gandhi’s mind has been stolen.” He accused Gandhi of attempting to malign constitutional institutions under the guise of defending the Constitution and alleged that such a campaign could undermine public confidence in the democratic system.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Opposition had created confusion over the SIR exercise and called on Congress and its allies to apologise to the public.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the INDIA alliance as an “alliance of defeated people”, while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav accused Gandhi of spreading what he described as falsehoods because of his inability to manage his own party and family.
During the same press conference, Madhya Pradesh BJP President Hemant Khandelwal accused Congress of repeatedly making allegations against the Election Commission over the SIR process and misleading the public.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai alleged that Congress, after losing more than 100 elections, had resorted to what he described as “anti-national conduct”. He said the Election Commission’s joint press conference had exposed what he called Congress’s false claims and accused Gandhi of attempting to tarnish the country’s image.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami defended the constitutional process, saying that while questioning institutions was legitimate in a democracy, presenting an internal discussion note as a final decision was inappropriate. He maintained that decisions of the Election Commission had been taken with complete consensus.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma also accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation to conceal electoral defeats. He questioned why Congress had not verified the facts before making allegations concerning orders passed with consensus on 24 June 2025.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta alleged that the Opposition was using the controversy to divert attention from its political failures and development issues. She questioned the Opposition's record on transparency in the Election Commission during previous Congress-led governments and called on Gandhi and Congress to apologise to the public.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused Congress of being frustrated by what he described as the consequences of its policies while in government. He said the Opposition's present strategy appeared to focus on attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and constitutional institutions.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accused Congress of applying different standards to the Election Commission depending on electoral outcomes. He said Congress celebrated the impartiality of the poll process when it won elections but raised allegations of vote theft and electoral malpractice when the BJP secured a mandate.
Patel also highlighted the government's development record under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing India's economic growth and its ambition to become the world's third-largest economy. He linked the BJP's campaign to the ongoing Seva Sankalp Abhiyan marking 25 years of Modi's public life.
In Bihar, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary defended the SIR exercise, saying that “purification of the voter list is necessary” and arguing that booth capturing was no longer prevalent. He rejected Gandhi's allegations as false.
In West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari accused Congress of adopting different positions on SIR depending on its electoral fortunes. He claimed that Congress supported the exercise in Kerala but opposed it in West Bengal after losing the election. Adhikari said cases involving names rejected because of logical discrepancies had been dealt with by judicial officers.
In Karnataka, Legislative Assembly Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy accused Congress of creating a political narrative to conceal its failures.
In Kerala, BJP General Secretary Anoop Antony claimed that senior Congress leaders in the state supported SIR, while Gandhi was opposing it. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy also held a press conference in Hyderabad, accusing Gandhi and the Opposition of repeatedly targeting constitutional institutions.
BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand also joined the campaign. State BJP presidents, including Rajeev Bindal in Himachal Pradesh and Aditya Sahu in Jharkhand, criticised Gandhi and the Congress over their allegations.
