The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday termed as “baseless and irresponsible” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim his party had uncovered an “atom bomb” of evidence proving voters lists were manipulated on a large scale, and said that it ignores such statements. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Congress began investigating after noticing irregularities during the Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that over 10 million voters were fraudulently added to the rolls. (Sansad TV)

“We dug deep because the Election Commission wasn’t helping,” Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament. “What we found is an atom bomb. When it explodes, you won’t be able to see the Election Commission in India.”

The Leader of Opposition said the party began investigating after noticing irregularities during the Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that over 10 million voters were fraudulently added to the rolls.

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“There was a suspicion in the elections in Madhya Pradesh and the Lok Sabha, and it deepened in the Maharashtra assembly polls. At the state level, we believed there was a vote theft,” Gandhi said. “It took us six months to study this in detail.”

Gandhi issued a warning: “Whoever is doing this, from top to bottom in the ECI, we won’t spare you. You’re working against the nation. This is treason.”

In response, ECI said, “The Election Commission ignores such baseless allegations being made on a daily basis and despite the daily threats being given, (it) asks all election officials to ignore such irresponsible statements and work in a fair and transparent manner.”

The Congress has repeatedly accused the ECI of acting like a “biased umpire”, particularly in its handling of the 2024 general elections and multiple assembly polls.

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ECI said it had sent a mail to Gandhi on June 12 after previous allegations, but had not received a response. “He has never sent any letter to ECI on any issue, whatsoever,” the election watchdog said.

The latest accusation comes amid a broader protest by the opposition INDIA bloc over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, which they claim is a BJP-backed attempt to disenfranchise voters.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had also blamed the poll body on July 6, saying, “With the cooperation of the Election Commission, the BJP’s master plan to deprive crores in Bihar of their voting rights now seems to be ensnaring them. Forcibly disenfranchising the poor, Dalits, backwards — this is the BJP-RSS conspiracy.”

Following a joint strategy meeting, the INDIA bloc parties on Thursday announced they will intensify their protests –– both in and outside Parliament. ECI published the draft electoral rolls for Bihar on Friday.

Responding to Gandhi’s claim , the BJP asked him to “flow like water” instead of considering to “explode like a bomb”. “Will Rahul Gandhi explode like a bomb? What do you think? Their job is to explode. They have no other work to do,” BJP leader Sambit Patra told reporters at the BJP headquarters. He said the Opposition party speaks of such things because they have no faith in democracy.

“We are those who have faith in democracy. If they explode an atom bomb, we will save the Constitution,” Patra said.