NEW DELHI: The BJP on Sunday collectively attacked the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the INDI alliance for making "baseless allegations" against the Election Commission of India (ECI), attempting to undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions.
The BJP leaders collectively maintained that the Election Commission is an autonomous constitutional institution and that allegations against it should be backed by verifiable evidence.
The BJP said the ECI had already addressed the Opposition's allegations through a joint press conference, providing point-by-point clarifications and presenting its version of facts. Despite this, BJP leaders across the country accused the Congress and its allies of continuing a campaign aimed at weakening public confidence in democratic institutions.
Several BJP chief ministers joined the campaign. Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “No votes have been stolen; Rahul Gandhi’s mind has been stolen,” accusing Gandhi of seeking to malign institutions and create distrust in the electoral system.
Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleged the Opposition created confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for an apology.
Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the INDI alliance as an “alliance of defeated people”, while Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister Mohan Yadav accused Gandhi of falsehoods after failing to manage his party and allies. Madhya Pradesh BJP President Hemant Khandelwal also criticised the Congress over its allegations concerning the SIR exercise.
Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accused the Congress of adopting what he called “anti-national” conduct after repeated electoral defeats. Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said questions could legitimately be raised in a democracy but argued that internal discussions should not be presented as final decisions.
Rajasthan's CM Bhajan Lal Sharma questioned why the Congress had not verified the facts before making allegations concerning decisions taken on 24 June 2025. Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha Gupta accused the Opposition of attempting to divert attention from its political failures and called on Gandhi and the Congress to apologise.
Haryana's Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini alleged that the Congress was frustrated by its past policies, while the Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accused the party of applying different standards to the ECI depending on electoral outcomes.
In Bihar, CM Samrat Choudhary defended the need for voter-list revision, while West Bengal's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari accused the Congress of maintaining different positions on SIR in states where its electoral fortunes differed.
Opposition-ruled states also saw BJP leaders intensify the campaign. Karnataka Opposition leaders R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy criticised the Congress, while Kerala BJP General Secretary Anoop Antony and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy attacked Gandhi over his allegations. BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand also held similar protests.
