Rahul Gandhi Alleges Vote Theft in 2024 Elections Amid Special Intensive Revision; BJP Denies Claims, Faces Protests

The political discourse in India has intensified following allegations by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accusing the Election Commission (EC) of enabling "vote theft" to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 general elections. Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have raised concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing issues such as fraudulent voter registrations, fake addresses, and mass additions, which they claim have compromised the integrity of the electoral process. Congress leaders across various states, including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, have organized protests and candlelight marches under slogans like "Vote chor, gaddi chhod" to highlight these allegations. They demand transparency regarding the digital voter list and CCTV footage related to voter registration. BJP leaders and Union Ministers, including Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kiren Rijiju, and Giriraj Singh, have dismissed these allegations as false and politically motivated, accusing Rahul Gandhi of making baseless claims and abusing constitutional institutions. BJP MP Anurag Thakur escalated the controversy by accusing Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and others of securing seats through fraudulent voter rolls and demanded their resignations. The Supreme Court has commented on the matter, with the Punjab Assembly Leader of the Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa noting the court's directive for the Election Commission to explain the removal of 6.5 million votes. Congress leaders have called for action based on the evidence they have presented, urging the Election Commission to clarify its stance. The political confrontation underscores ongoing tensions over electoral integrity and governance ahead of upcoming elections.