New Delhi, Sep 18 (NationPress) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched another attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of systematically targeting voters by altering electoral rolls, either by deleting or adding names. However, this is not the much-anticipated “hydrogen bomb” he had mentioned, as he awaits further evidence from his team.

During the conclusion of his Voter Adhikar Yatra on September 1, Gandhi claimed his party would soon unveil a significant revelation regarding alleged “vote chori” (vote theft).

In the meantime, he vowed to keep criticizing the election authority without pursuing legal action. “As the Leader of Opposition (in Lok Sabha), my role in normal situations is to apply pressure on the government. My duty is not to safeguard India’s democracy,” Gandhi stated while responding to an inquiry from IANS.

Interestingly, at the recent press conference, he once again referenced the Constitution, emphasizing the importance of defending democracy in the country.

When asked if his party would resort to legal action if the poll body failed to respond directly, he indicated he would grant the Election Commission a week to provide answers.

In the Karnataka Aland constituency, Gandhi alleged that an attempt was made to delete 6,018 votes prior to the 2023 Assembly elections, with the Election Commission allegedly refusing to share the evidence requested by the state CID.

Interestingly, the Congress party reclaimed Aland from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2023, winning by over 10,000 votes and securing around 51% of the total votes cast.

This was a significant turnaround, as they had lost to the BJP in the 2018 Assembly elections by a mere 700 votes, having garnered about 47% of the mandate.

Allegations of vote deletion appear to have benefitted the Congress candidate.

In Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency, he claimed that an addition of 6,850 voters was made to the electoral rolls.

In this constituency, the BJP overtook the seat from Congress in the 2024 Assembly elections with a margin of about 3,000 votes, while Congress had previously won by approximately 2,500 votes in 2019, during which voter turnout increased by over 6% compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, Gandhi is advocating for “institutions” to take the initiative for a probe and subsequent action, mentioning that the Karnataka CID has already started an inquiry regarding the alleged voter deletion in Aland.

In response, the Election Commission issued a rebuttal, labeling his claims as incorrect and unfounded, asserting that deletions cannot be made online by any public member, and that affected individuals are given the chance to present their views.

In 2023, there were attempts to delete electors in the Aland Assembly constituency, but these efforts failed, leading to an FIR by the poll body itself.

Last month, Rahul raised concerns regarding the electoral result of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat, alleging that one lakh votes were “stolen” in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency during the 2024 elections.