New Delhi [India], August 8 : BJP leaders have launched a counterattack on Rahul Gandhi after he accused the Election Commission of manipulating the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in BJP's favour. BJP MPs Ravi Kishan and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, along with Shiv Sena's Naresh Mhaske, dismissed Gandhi's claims of "vote theft" in Karnataka's Mahadevapura constituency and accused him of disrespecting the constitution and democracy.
BJP MP Ravi Kishan suggested that Rahul Gandhi should look into history.
"... If you look at history, there are many proofs in the past as well, when entire booths would be captured when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. Wherever, in whichever state they have won, they have no complaints over there. But wherever they lose, they start cribbing and crying... Had we been using unfair means, we would have won all states and all seats... They should first give an answer as to why they don't question anything when they win... You are raising questions about the voters, the electoral process, the constitution, and democracy," Ravi Kishan told ANI.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy also slammed the Congress leader's inconsistent stance and said, "I dont understand, sometimes he talks about fake voters, on other times he complains about removal of voters. What does he want?... The Election Commission has issued a notice on 1 August. He needs to go and tell the Election Commission about the voters who have been left out."
Echoing similar sentiments, Shiv Sena MP Mhaske has accused the opposition of disrespecting the voters. ""This opposition only creates ruckus in the Parliament... The opposition is insulting the voters who sent them here."
The remarks came in response to a press conference held by Rahul Gandhi on August 7, where he claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "choreographed" by the EC to benefit the BJP, which he said appeared "immune to anti-incumbency."
Citing internal analysis, Gandhi said the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but ended up with only nine. He said the Congress investigated seven unexpected losses, zeroing in on Mahadevapura, where he alleged vote theft involving 1,00,250 votes.
Presenting Congress's research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) of 1,00,250 votes.
"Our internal polling told us we would win 16 seats in Karnataka; we won nine. We then focused on seven unexpected losses. We focused on Mahadevapur...All data is 2024 data from the Election Commission; the total votes polled in the Lok Sabha were 6.26 lakhs. The BJP won with 6,58,915, securing a margin of 32,707. But then we look at Mahadevapura, where Congress polls 1,15,586 and BJP polls 2,29,632. Congress wins all Vidhan Sabhas but this one," the Congress leader said.
"We found 1,00,250 votes stolen. Stolen in five different ways. Duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address, on a building with 50-60 people living. But when we go there, no record of those people living there. One family living in that house," he said.