New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) In a fiery Press conference held at the Congress headquarters on Thursday, senior Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of “colluding with the BJP to manipulate elections” and "helping dismantle democracy" systematically. Raising serious concerns over the credibility of the voter rolls and the conduct of recent elections, LoP Gandhi said, “Are the right people allowed to vote? Is the voter list even accurate? There’s growing suspicion among the public, and for good reason.”

He pointed to alleged inconsistencies between opinion polls, internal party surveys, and actual results — particularly in states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh — suggesting that the outcomes were “choreographed.” LoP Gandhi questioned why voter turnout saw “massive spikes after 5 P.M.,” despite little to no queues at polling booths in Maharashtra. “The election process now runs for months, and that alone raises suspicion. In Maharashtra, more voters were added in five months (referring to the time period between Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections) — more than in five years. How is that possible?” he said.

Citing the 2024 Lok Sabha and subsequent state elections, LoP Gandhi highlighted what he termed an “absurd contrast.” “We won big in Lok Sabha in Maharashtra but were wiped out in Assembly polls just months later. And between those elections, one crore new voters appeared. We asked the EC for explanations, but they remained silent,” the Congress leader pointed out.

He went on to accuse the EC of deliberately withholding soft copies of the voter rolls, destroying CCTV footage, and avoiding scrutiny. “If you want to analyse the data, you need digital access. But the EC has blocked it. They’re not in the business of protecting democracy anymore — they’re helping dismantle it,” he charged. Calling Prime Minister Modi a “PM with just a 25-seat majority,” LoP Gandhi claimed, “He only had to steal 25 seats to stay in power. That’s why the EC is shielding the truth.”