Rahul Gandhi Accuses Election Commission of Partnership with BJP, Promises to Thwart 'Institutionalized Theft of Votes'

Strategic Insights -

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday charged the Election Commission with having a "partnership" with the ruling BJP at the Centre and vowed to thwart "institutionalized theft of votes" in the guise of special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Gandhi's comments came during the second leg of the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', which is aiming to highlight the concerns of voters in the state.

Rahul Gandhi seemed delighted at the response to the yatra, claiming that people were taking part "organically, without being asked to do so" and that the slogan 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' (vote thief, vacate your seat of power) was now on the lips of "even six-year-old children". The Congress leader deftly side-stepped a pointed question about the reluctance to declare RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, seated by his side, as the chief ministerial candidate even though the latter had recently made an open pitch for making Gandhi the Prime Minister after the next Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi also disclosed that a "manifesto committee" was at work for the upcoming assembly polls, which would focus on providing security to farmers who were in need of better storage facilities and relief from the burden of debt. He alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were in a clandestine partnership, citing examples of alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka.

Key Takeaways:

  • Gandhi accused the Election Commission of having a "partnership" with the ruling BJP at the Centre, alleging "institutionalized theft of votes" in the guise of special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
  • The Congress leader claimed that people were taking part in the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' "organically, without being asked to do so", with children as young as six years old chanting the slogan 'vote chor, gaddi chhod'.
  • Gandhi side-stepped a question about the reluctance to declare RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate, saying that INDIA bloc partners were working together in a spirit of mutual respect.
  • The Congress leader announced that a "manifesto committee" was at work for the upcoming assembly polls, focusing on providing security to farmers and relief from debt burden.
  • Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were in a clandestine partnership, citing examples of alleged "vote chori" in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka.

Statistics:

  • 65 lakh people have been deleted from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar.
  • The BJP has not made a whimper about the deletion of names from the electoral rolls in Bihar.
  • Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' has been successful, with people joining in "organically, without any effort on our part".

Sources:

  • HT Digital Content Services with permission from Pioneer.