The Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'vote chori' claims against the Election Commission on Thursday and asked why he and his party have not flagged any 'fraud' in the EC in the states they have won.
Rahul Gandhi on Thursday made a massive claim 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".
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, while addressing a press conference, rejected Rahul Gandhi's claims and said that the people of India are noticing this "selective outrage".
He said that the Congress party remains neutral when it wins the election in any state, it doesn't appreciate the EC and neither does it claim any fraud.
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"When you win in Himachal Pradesh, you don't say the Election Commission did a good job. At that time, you don't claim there was any fraud. Fraud doesn't occur to you then, nor do you offer congratulations, you simply remain neutral. When you win in Telangana and your party forms the government while the BJP loses, show me one press conference where Rahul Gandhi said that there was fraud by the Election Commission in Telangana. At that time, you don’t raise any questions or allegations," Patra said.
{{/usCountry}}"When you win in Himachal Pradesh, you don't say the Election Commission did a good job. At that time, you don't claim there was any fraud. Fraud doesn't occur to you then, nor do you offer congratulations, you simply remain neutral. When you win in Telangana and your party forms the government while the BJP loses, show me one press conference where Rahul Gandhi said that there was fraud by the Election Commission in Telangana. At that time, you don’t raise any questions or allegations," Patra said.
{{/usCountry}}Citing the Congress's celebrations over securing 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Patra said the party celebrated it across the country and claimed victory.
"How is that possible if, as you say, democracy has failed and the Election Commission is compromised? If that were true, what exactly are you celebrating? This clearly shows that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party engage in selective outrage," the BJP spokesperson added.
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Rahul Gandhi had also cited an analysis of data from a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka from last year's general elections, and alleged that the EC is colluding with the BJP to "steal elections" and termed it a "crime" against the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission also hit back at the LoP over his Bengaluru claim, asking him to submit the claimed proofs under oath. Chief electoral officer of Karnataka and Maharashtra also wrote to Rahul Gandhi over his allegations.
They asked him to share the names of the excluded voters and added ineligible ones with a signed declaration or oath.