'Reckless conduct': BJP slams Rahul Gandhi for 'vote theft' charge, dares him to submit declaration

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a presentation at the INDIA bloc dinner meeting on Thursday. (Image: X)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have launched an all-out attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'vote chori (vote theft)' allegations against the Election Commission, calling it a "reckless conduct".

BJP's media cell chief Amit Malviya trained guns at the Opposition leader in a post on X and questioned his reluctance to submit the declaration containing the names of ineligible electors that he claimed were on the voter list.

For his own credibility, Rahul Gandhi must submit, under Declaration/Oath, the names of ineligible electors he claims are on the voter list, as required under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

If he fails to do so, it will be crystal clear that he has no… https://t.co/EjDlcDcAEU — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 8, 2025

Malviya said, "For his own credibility, Rahul Gandhi must submit, under Declaration/Oath, the names of ineligible electors he claims are on the voter list, as required under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960."

Calling his conduct "harmful to the democracy", Malviya added, "If he fails to do so, it will be crystal clear that he has no real case and was indulging in political theatre, only to obfuscate facts, plant doubts in people’s minds, and tarnish the image of a constitutional body entrusted with free and fair elections. Such conduct is reckless and harmful to our democracy."

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also hit out at the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, questioning why the Congress had not objected through "legal means" and accusing the party of selectively blaming the poll body depending on electoral outcomes.

"There is no need to take him seriously. Why did the Congress party not file any objection? Why he did not file any election petition?" Joshi told ANI, while responding to the Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "voter fraud" in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

What did Rahul Gandhi say?

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed before the media that an analysis of the voter data pertaining to a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka showed that elections were rigged by the Election Commission at the behest of the BJP to help the saffron party "steal" votes and win the seat in 2024 general elections.

He claimed that the Election Commission "colluded with the BJP to steal elections". He said that the Lok Sabha seat of Bangalore Central, which the Congress lost to the BJP by a less than 3 per cent margin, had instance of "fake voters" and "duplicate voting".

There is a huge "criminal fraud" being perpetrated across the country by the Election Commission and the "party in power", the Congress leader charged, in an apparent reference to the BJP.

He also said the Opposition's Maharashtra setback just months after their strong show in the Lok Sabha elections last year raised suspicion.

He also accused the EC of drafting a "choreographed schedule" for the assembly polls in collusion with the ruling BJP. He alleged that the Election Commission evades replies when questioned and that it refused to provide digital voter rolls.

Rahul Gandhi made another presentation - which included what he claimed were photo evidence of fake voters - to about 50 leaders from 25 Opposition parties who attended a dinner that he hosted last evening.

He claimed that a survey had found six main irregularities in Karnataka, including same voter names appearing multiple times in rolls, same voters across multiple states, non-existent addresses, bulk voters at a single address, indistinguishable photo on voter IDs and the misuse of Form 6 for first-time voters.

BJP hits back

His comments did not sit well with the BJP leaders. The party accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the people of the country by calling the party's election victory a "fraud" and said the voters will continue to reject the Congress for such "irresponsible and shameless" character and conduct.

Condemning the Congress leader's remarks, BJP MP and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, has made irresponsible and shameless comments." He has called the Election Commission a fraud, crossing all limits of "shamelessness", the BJP leader charged.

Prasad said that Gandhi has made such allegations against the EC out of "frustration and anger" because people are not giving their mandate to the Congress and will continue to do so after his brazen allegations against the poll panel.

EC's strong rebuttal

The Election Commission also issued a strong rebuttal, daring him to submit a complaint under oath or stop misleading citizens, and circulated a format that he could use as a declaration for filing the complaint. The BJP swiftly denied the charges as "baseless".