Rahul Gandhi says India’s election system is ‘dead’, alleges Lok Sabha polls were rigged

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, speaking at the Annual Legal Conclave 2025 in New Delhi, on Aug 2 asserted that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were rigged, declaring India’s electoral system as “already dead” if even 15 seats had been manipulated.

He warned that if his allegations turned out true, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slim majority would not have materialized. He promised that Congress would soon produce evidence explaining how polling was allegedly manipulated.

Gandhi went further, claiming his party had uncovered an “atom bomb” of proof showing over 10 million fake voters were added during revisions of electoral rolls in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar.

He said the Commission had refused to cooperate, prompting Congress to launch a six-month independent investigation. “When it explodes, you won’t be able to see the Election Commission in India,” he declared, threatening that officials involved — even retired ones — would “not be spared.”

The Election Commission of India (ECI) swiftly responded, calling the allegations “baseless and irresponsible” and warning that such statements undermined public trust.

In a five-point statement, the poll body criticized Gandhi’s language and reiterated that officials should continue working impartially. It also said it had previously attempted to engage with him over the issue, but his party had declined.

Echoing Gandhi’s charges, senior Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared that evidence existed of electoral fraud in a Lok Sabha constituency, calling it a deliberate strategy by the BJP.

The INDIA bloc has since agreed to escalate protests, including a public yatra and legal memorandum submissions.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed Gandhi’s remarks as dramatic and undemocratic. BJP spokespersons said the opposition should “flow like water, not explode like a bomb,” and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to protecting democratic institutions.

The controversy has deepened at a sensitive political moment, coinciding with ongoing protests over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Rahul Gandhi is set to lead a protest yatra in Bengaluru on Aug 5 to raise awareness about alleged voter list irregularities and demand urgent parliamentary action.