In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that India’s democracy is “under siege” due to systematic vote-rigging orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. He claimed that centralised manipulation of voter rolls, supposedly aided by the Election Commission of India (ECI), was being used to “steal elections.”
However, a closer examination of Gandhi’s statements reveals troubling questions about his intentions, timing, and tactics. Rather than presenting verifiable evidence, Gandhi appears focused on eroding public trust in institutions that uphold India’s democratic framework.
Questionable Intent: Building public pressure, not electoral integrity
Gandhi explicitly admitted in the FT interview that his strategy aims to “challenge the integrity of India’s electoral system by building public pressure.” Notably, this admission exposes the true purpose of his claims: not to correct flaws, but to manufacture doubt and cover for Congress’s repeated electoral failures.
Despite citing “sample evidence” from Karnataka and Maharashtra, including deleted or duplicate voters and bulk registrations at single addresses, independent verification by the Financial Times was impossible. Hence, Gandhi’s claims are anecdotal, selective, and politically convenient, timed to coincide with Bihar’s critical state elections.
“We are playing the game of mass mobilisation. That’s the only way we have,” Gandhi told the FT. “It is going to end there because there are huge parts of this country that, simply, will not accept a rigged election.”
The statement shows a strategy aimed at creating fear and suspicion rather than addressing legitimate electoral concerns.
Closed-door politics and strategic manipulation
Reports suggest Gandhi has conducted multiple closed-door meetings with senior Congress leaders to plan this narrative, raising concerns about the party’s intent to influence public perception through orchestrated distrust. Political observers, however, warn that this approach risks destabilising India’s democratic processes, echoing tactics seen in neighbouring countries where institutions are deliberately undermined for political gain.
Notably, Rahul is looking at a short timeline, focusing immediately on the impending elections in Bihar, taking on this from a national perspective, therefore aiming to thoroughly discredit the Election Commission.
A party in decline, deflecting blame
Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the party has faced successive electoral setbacks, losing nearly 90 elections in recent years. Rather than engaging in introspection or implementing strategic reforms, Gandhi seems focused on shifting blame onto India’s electoral institutions. By undermining the credibility of the Election Commission, he is, in effect, encouraging the public to question and distrust the very foundations of India’s democratic process. And by casting doubt on the impartiality of the ECI, Gandhi positions himself as a martyr fighting a “rigged system,” pre-emptively delegitimising potential electoral losses.
The Election Commission dismissed his accusations as “incorrect and baseless,” while BJP leaders slammed him for “spreading false narratives” and “habitually making unfounded claims.”
Amit Shah, in a rally in Bihar, accused Gandhi of spreading a “false narrative,” while BJP MP Anurag Thakur stated,
“It has become a habit of Rahul Gandhi to make incorrect and baseless allegations. The Congress party has lost approximately 90 elections under his leadership. His frustration is increasing day by day.”
The danger of distrust
The Gandhi family’s political legacy is marked by past controversies, including electoral malpractice by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Rahul’s grandmother, in 1975. Notably, Rahul Gandhi’s approach, questioning institutions, mobilising public doubt, and selectively presenting evidence, risks undermining the credibility of India’s electoral framework, which has historically been one of the strongest in the world.
While the Congress party now accuses the BJP of manipulating elections, its own record tells a very different story. Over the years, Congress leaders have repeatedly been caught tampering with the electoral system they claim to be defending. Here are five such instances:
1. December 2024 (Telangana): Former PCC General Secretary Bakka Judson revealed that Congress had created 8.5 lakh fake voter ID cards in an attempt to sway local body elections.
2. February 2019 (Bihar): Congress leader Kirti Azad admitted that booth capturing was routine in Bihar and that several Congress leaders had directly benefited from it.
3. November 2023 (Kerala): Police summoned Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil in a case involving fake voter ID cards during the party’s own organisational elections, following complaints to Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay M. Kaul.
4. August 2022 (Delhi): The Lokayukta found former Congress MLA Jai Kishan guilty of creating fake voter IDs in Sultanpur, Majra, and recommended criminal proceedings.
5. 2018 (Karnataka): Ahead of state elections, RR Nagar Congress MLA and 13 others were booked after the Election Commission ordered a probe into 10,000 fake voter IDs discovered during a raid in Bengaluru.
Risks ahead of Bihar polls
Gandhi’s narrative comes at a politically sensitive time, ahead of the November Bihar elections. By spreading allegations of vote manipulation without evidence, he risks stirring unrest and encouraging public distrust in foundational institutions. Such tactics, under the guise of electoral integrity, are less about reform and more about political expediency.
India’s democracy, the world’s largest, relies on the credibility of its institutions. When opposition leaders actively seek to erode that credibility, the implications extend far beyond partisan politics, threatening the very legitimacy of the democratic process.
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