New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the BJP to add lakhs of fake votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the ‘Vote Adhikar Rally’ in Bengaluru, he demanded that the EC hand over the country’s digital voter data for the last 10 years, claiming he would prove that Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term through fraudulent votes. He alleged that voter data from Karnataka alone was evidence of a crime, and it had taken six months to expose irregularities in just one seat.

Rahul Gandhi’s allegations intensified after Congress leader VT Balram revealed irregularities in Modi’s own constituency, Varanasi. According to Balram, the EC’s voter list shows that a man named Ramkamaldas, residing in Bhelupur ward, has 50 sons — all listed as voters. Mocking the absurdity, Balram compared it to the Mahabharata’s tale of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari’s 101 children.

Varanasi, where Modi won by over four lakh votes in 2019, saw his lead reduced to 1,52,513 votes in 2024. Congress candidate Ajay Rai led by more than 50,000 votes in the early counting stages before Modi’s lead surged later. Modi secured 6,12,970 votes against Rai’s 4,60,457. The Congress alleges that a thorough examination of Varanasi’s voter list and CCTV footage would expose clear evidence of electoral malpractice.

Rahul Gandhi claimed Modi’s return to power was based on just 25 seats and 34,000 votes, reiterating that the EC’s refusal to release 10 years of digital voter data and booth CCTV footage was proof it was hiding something. He urged the Karnataka government to investigate the alleged vote rigging, warning that the irregularities uncovered in one seat could be replicated across the entire country.