Rahul Gandhi alleges electoral irregularities, demands CEC’s resignation
New Delhi, Sept 24: The Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of failing to prevent alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
At a press conference in the Congress headquarters, Gandhi charged that “vote theft” posed a grave threat to India’s democracy and called for a probe into alleged irregularities in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
He argued that anti‑incumbency, a historic force in Indian politics, had not manifested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in recent polls, raising questions about the integrity of the electoral process.
Gandhi cited alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, pointing to deletions and restorations of voter names in Maharashtra and West Bengal. He claimed that unequal access to voter‑list modification systems created scope for manipulation.
The Congress leader also referred to reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over electoral‑roll decisions, asserting that the Commission had failed in its duty to safeguard voter rights.
Reiterating his demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Gandhi said opposition parties would unite to protect the sanctity of the vote and pressed for comprehensive reforms within the Election Commission.
