New Delhi, Dec 16 (NationPress) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday expressed his support for NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule, who dismissed the opposition's claims of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation, stating that if there was ever any vote theft in the nation, it was committed by the Congress during the period of ballot papers.

While addressing reporters outside Parliament, Singh argued that allegations of rigging were being made without substantial proof.

“If votes were stolen, it was Congress that did it; they used to snatch ballots. That is why Supriya Sule is correct in her statements,” the Union Minister affirmed, backing her comments.

Supriya Sule, a prominent figure in the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) and a partner in the Congress-led INDIA coalition, rebuffed claims of EVM interference. She emphasized that she would not question the integrity of the voting system, having been elected multiple times through it.

“I have been elected on the same machine, so I will not question the EVMs or VVPATs. I am not critiquing the machine. I am making a very specific point, hoping for great accountability from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has received a significant mandate in Maharashtra,” Sule stated during a discussion on electoral reforms. She is a four-time Lok Sabha MP from the Baramati constituency in Maharashtra.

Her comments came shortly after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once more accused the government of election rigging and challenged the neutrality of the Election Commission. Such allegations have been consistently raised by the Opposition over the years.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also warned against selectively questioning EVMs, asserting that it was incorrect to doubt the machines only when election outcomes were unfavorable. On Monday, Abdullah distanced himself from the Congress's 'vote theft' claims, asserting that the INDIA coalition had no involvement in it.

In response to questions about Congress's 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' campaign and allegations of electoral irregularities, Abdullah remarked, “The INDIA bloc has no connection to this. Every political party has the right to set its own agenda. The Congress has chosen 'vote theft' and 'SIR' as its primary issues. Who are we to dictate otherwise?”

During the debate, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his accusation that the BJP was “controlling and using” the Election Commission to undermine India’s democratic framework. He also questioned the decision to remove the Chief Justice of India from the panel that selects Election Commissioners.

Gandhi called for various reforms, including providing a machine-readable voter list to all political parties at least a month prior to elections, abolishing the law that allows CCTV footage to be destroyed after 45 days, giving greater access to EVMs, and altering laws that, in his view, allow Election Commissioners “to escape accountability.”

In a strong rebuttal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered Gandhi’s assertions, highlighting that EVMs were introduced in India during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Shah remarked that it was ironic for the Congress to oppose a system it had previously established.

Shah further noted that the Congress had won the first election conducted using EVMs, which occurred in 2004 when Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister. “Ten years later, when we won in 2014, they started raising doubts,” he stated.

Rahul Gandhi has persistently claimed EVM manipulation and vote theft in recent years. Supporting these allegations, senior Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently backed Gandhi’s stance, claiming that the Election Commission was no longer impartial.

While addressing the Congress party’s 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, Hooda asserted that recent elections, including those in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka, had revealed significant flaws in the electoral process. “The Constitution granted every citizen the right to vote post-Independence. Today, that very right is being manipulated,” Hooda claimed, accusing authorities of widespread interference in the voting process.