Rahul Gandhi alleged major ‘voter fraud’ in Haryana’s 2024 assembly polls, claiming 25 lakh fake voters. The BJP dismissed it as an excuse for an expected loss in Bihar. Haryana’s CEO has asked Gandhi to submit an affidavit with evidence.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges ‘Voter Fraud’ in Haryana
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged “voter fraud” in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections, claiming that one in eight voters in Haryana were fake. He pointed to unexplained discrepancies between postal and booth votes.
Just a day before the first phase of the Bihar polls, Gandhi said his team has clear proof that around 25 lakh voters in the state are either duplicate, nonexistent, or manipulated. The revelations made by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have drawn criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has stated that Gandhi’s allegations serve as proof of the Mahagathbandhan’s defeat in the Bihar assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11.
Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Haryana has asked the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to sign and submit an affidavit in response to the latter’s claim of 25 lakh “fake” voters in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
While addressing a press conference, ‘H files’, Rahul Gandhi said, “We have crystal clear proof that 25 lakh voters (in Haryana) are fake, that they either don’t exist or they are duplicates or are designed in a way for anybody to vote…1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, that’s 12.5%.”
“We have the word ‘H’ Files, and this is about how an entire state has been stolen. We suspected that this was not happening in individual constituencies, but rather at the state and national levels. We received numerous complaints in Haryana from our candidates, stating that something was not working correctly. Their predictions all went upside down. We had experienced this in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, but we decided to zoom in on Haryana and go into details about what had happened there,” he said.
The Congress claimed that a plan was set in motion to turn a predicted Congress win into a loss and also urged young voters to pay attention, citing claims backed by strong evidence.
“All (exit) polls pointed to a Congress victory (in Haryana)…The other thing that was surprising to us was that, for the first time in Haryana’s electoral history, postal votes differed from the actual voting…This had never happened in Haryana before. So, we thought, ‘Let’s go into the details.’ When I first saw this information, I struggled to believe it. I was in shock…I told the team to cross-check multiple times,” he said.
Gandhi called the Haryana elections a lie, saying the voter list in the state is flawed. He stated that a corrupt voter list undermines democracy and emphasised that the opposition will coordinate on the next steps, while urging young people and residents of Haryana to understand the issue.
While addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said, “Every single party understands this. There is nothing hidden here. The fundamental question of an election is the integrity of the voter list. We are showing you that the Haryana voter list is flawed, rubbish. If this is flawed, elections are fundamentally flawed. We have been suspecting this again and again. Now, we have proof that the voter list in India is a lie. If the voter list is a lie, there is no democracy. How we proceed, we will coordinate with the Opposition, we will work together, but the fundamental thing that the youth of India and people of Haryana have to understand is that there was no election in Haryana, it was a lie.”
He claimed that 3.5 lakh voters were removed from the rolls ahead of the Haryana legislative assembly elections and shared recordings of self-proclaimed victims and witnesses. Gandhi claimed that multiple people cast votes several times at different booths.
He urged India’s Gen Z and youth to safeguard the country’s democratic process while addressing allegations of large-scale voter fraud in Haryana. Gandhi highlighted that the youth have the power to restore democracy through truth and non-violence. He also claimed a plan was set in motion to turn a predicted Congress victory into a loss.
Rahul Gandhi said, “I want the young people of India, Gen Z, to understand this clearly. Because this is about your future. Your future is being destroyed. So it’s important that you listen and you watch. I’m questioning the Election Commission and the democratic process in India. So I’m doing it with 100 per cent proof. We are pretty sure that a plan was put in motion to convert Congress’ landslide victory (in Haryana) into a loss”
The concluding slide of the presentation read, “India’s Gen Z and youth have the power to restore our democracy with satya and ahimsa (truth and non-violence).”
Haryana CEO Responds to Allegations
Issuing a statement, Haryana CEO said that the election results can be questioned only with an Election Petition before a High Court. Haryana CEO said in the statement, “As far as the conduct of elections is concerned, election results can be questioned only by way of an Election Petition before the Hon’ble High Court. It is understood that during a Press Conference held today, you mentioned the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls.”
“You (Rahul Gandhi) are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed Declaration/Oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated,” the statement added.
The Election Commission noted that the voter lists were shared with Congress representatives ahead of the 2024 polling, but the party did not file an appeal at that time.
BJP Slams Allegations, Links to Bihar Polls
BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda lambasted Gandhi, calling his ‘H files’ presser alleging voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections a “fake press conference”.
In a video statement, Nadda argued that Rahul Gandhi was discussing Haryana in the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections because the Mahagathbandhan is set to lose the assembly polls in the eastern state, and he has begun to look for “excuses”.
“Rahul Gandhi has already accepted that the Congress party is about to be wiped out in the Bihar elections. Elections are being held in Bihar, and Rahul Gandhi is holding a fake press conference in Delhi. Elections are being held in Bihar, and Rahul Gandhi is talking about Haryana because he has learned that the Mahagathbandhan is losing in Bihar. He has already begun looking for excuses. Previously, he blamed EVMs for the defeat, but when he couldn’t prove his false claims and EVMs received a clean chit from the Supreme Court, he has now started raising the issue of SIR,” said Nadda, who is also a Union Minister.
The BJP leader further stated that Rahul Gandhi aimed to defame the country, rather than presenting his case before the Election Commission of India (ECI), despite multiple summons. He accused the Congress MP of creating an atmosphere of “chaos and anarchy” in India.
“The Election Commission repeatedly summons him to prove his allegations. But no, if he doesn’t want to go. He won’t present his case before the Election Commission. His sole aim is to defame the country, incite the youth, and create an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy in the country. But the country’s youth know the truth. They are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are with the country’s development. They are with the country’s progress,” Nadda said.
‘An Attempt to Provoke Gen Z’
BJP’s Ajay Alok lashed out at Gandhi after the latter alleged “voter fraud” in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections, saying that the same tactics don’t work “over and over again”.
Speaking to ANI, Alok said that Rahul Gandhi’s allegations were an official admission of losing the Bihar assembly elections that are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. He also accused Gandhi of “provoking” Gen Z youth.
“Rahul Gandhi and serious? This is a question in itself. Rahul Gandhi is such an ‘akal-mand’, and his team is also so ‘akal-mand’ that they don’t realise the same tactics don’t work over and over again. This was their official admission of losing the Bihar elections. For that, they first raise the issue of vote theft. This is ‘dimaag-chori’, not ‘vote chori’. This is an attempt to provoke the Gen Z,” Alok said.
“He is a subject of jokes among the Gen Z. He only wants to spread anarchy, sitting in the lap of Naxalites. After Rahul Gandhi’s admission, all his candidates in Bihar have now accepted they will lose,” he added. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)