NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, came under fire on Friday from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he alleged poll fraud against the Election Commission of India (ECI). BJP leaders accused him of tarnishing the image of a constitutional institution.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan referred to Gandhi as a “bayan-bahadur” (a person who is brave in making baseless statements) and accused him of carrying out a systematic and deliberate attack on the ECI as part of what he described as a wider conspiracy against India’s constitutional bodies and the Constitution itself.
In a post on ‘X’, Pradhan stated, “The ideologically hollow Congress party is systematically attacking constitutional institutions. It cannot be ruled out that there is a larger conspiracy against India's democracy and Constitution behind this calculated deceit.”
Pradhan further criticised the Congress and the Gandhi family, saying, “The Election Commission is good when the Congress wins and is biased when it is defeated. Rahul Gandhi needs to understand that his family's victory is not the definition of democracy.” He also invoked the Emergency period, describing it as a dark chapter in the family’s political legacy.
Echoing similar sentiments, former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called Gandhi’s allegations “irresponsible”, saying such conduct would only further alienate voters from the Congress party. “The voters will continue to reject the Congress for such 'irresponsible and shameless' character and conduct,” he said. Prasad accused Gandhi of crossing all boundaries of propriety by branding the Election Commission a “fraud”.
Gandhi had alleged a large-scale and well-planned “criminal fraud” being carried out across the country by the Election Commission and the ruling party.
Joining the criticism, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed Gandhi's claims as “bogus”, alleging he was relying on misinformation from an unnamed NGO. BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra also described Rahul Gandhi's remarks as selective "outrage", pointing out that he did not raise concerns when the Congress secured victories in Telangana, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh.
“Neither the Congress filed any petition in the court challenging the 2024 Maharashtra poll results if it felt there was some irregularity nor did Gandhi respond to the Election Commission's request to visit its office and discuss the matter,” Patra remarked.
At a press briefing, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav also condemned Gandhi’s language, calling it unbecoming of the Leader of the Opposition. He noted that Gandhi had warned ECI officials of consequences for their alleged involvement in assisting the BJP.
Quoting official data, Yadav said the number of voters in state assembly elections held in November last year rose by over 40 lakh compared to the Lok Sabha polls held earlier in the year, contrary to Gandhi’s claim of a one crore increase. Citing constituencies such as Madha, Mohol, Nagpur West and Nagpur North—won by the Congress and its allies—Yadav noted an increase in voter numbers.
He likened Gandhi’s actions to “someone cutting the branch one is sitting on” and accused him of using arrogant and threatening language against the Election Commission. Taking a dig at Gandhi’s media briefing on Thursday, Yadav said, “If the Congress leader has real objections to the polling process, then he should file an affidavit on oath to the EC.”
Yadav further accused Congress leaders, particularly Rahul Gandhi, of “repeatedly and deliberately trying to peddle lies to tarnish the poll body following his poll losses.” He added, “The Congress is trying to belittle our constitutional bodies in a systematic way for a family.” He also accused Gandhi of adopting a strategy to “speak and scoot away.”
