The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, accusing him of demeaning both the electorate and the Election Commission of India (ECI) by alleging widespread election fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP’s counter came after Gandhi, addressing the media, alleged that elections in a Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka were manipulated to benefit the saffron party. He claimed that the ECI rigged the polls at the BJP’s behest, enabling it to “steal” votes and secure victory. Calling the electoral process a “criminal fraud” executed by the ruling party and the Commission, the Congress leader’s remarks triggered strong reactions from the BJP.
BJP Slams ‘Fraud’ Allegation, Defends Mandate
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis told news agency ANI, “Neither has there been theft of votes in Maharashtra nor in any other parts of the nation. The chip of Rahul Gandhi’s brain is stolen and his hard disk is corrupted. Rahul Gandhi is just lying and is stealing the mandate of the public.”
“His figures also keep changing. Last time, he mentioned that in Maharashtra, the number of votes increased by 75 lakh. Now, he is saying that one crore votes have increased…He is just trying to suppress his loss by lying…He knows that he will be losing in the future, also…He is maligning the image of constitutional bodies of the nation…I condemn it and the public will teach him a lesson in the coming elections,” he remarked.
#WATCH | Mumbai | On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations on the EC, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, “Neither has there been theft of votes in Maharashtra nor in any other parts of the nation…Rahul Gandhi is just lying and is stealing the mandate of the public…His… pic.twitter.com/OwmQp0Ztvd
— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025
Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking at Parliament, lashed out at Gandhi: “Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, has made irresponsible and shameless comments.” He further said, “He has called the Election Commission a fraud, crossing all limits of shamelessness. Narendra Modiji has been winning elections since 2015, and you (Rahul Gandhi) are calling that also a fraud. You are insulting the people of the country who voted for Modiji for his work, honesty and progress of the country under his leadership.”
Prasad also took a dig at Gandhi’s legal woes, saying, “You keep roaming across the country to get bail in defamation cases and you call somebody a fraud. I strongly condemn Rahul Gandhi for his utterances. His is irresponsible and does not know what to speak even about the constitutional body.”
Union Minister Joshi Recalls ‘Politicisation’ Of Rajiv Gandhi’s Funeral
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also criticised the Congress leader’s remarks on the ECI and EVMs. Referring to the 1991 general elections after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, he said, “You are trying to teach us a lesson? When Rajiv Gandhi was killed… what happened? If in one area, during an election, an official candidate from a recognised political party dies, then a countermand is done in that particular area. You talked about Rajiv Gandhi’s murder, but you stopped the election across the entire country. On what basis? What justification did you have?”
He went on to accuse the Congress of politicising Rajiv Gandhi’s funeral to “create unrest” and “gather votes”. “Is that why you did it? Who exactly were you trying to teach a lesson to?” he asked.
VIDEO | Delhi: When asked about Rahul Gandhi and Opposition leaders levelling allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and EVMs, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) said, “…You are trying to teach us a lesson? When Rajiv Gandhi was killed… what… pic.twitter.com/RJmxHjOYEL
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 7, 2025
On the allegations surrounding EVMs and election results, Joshi pointed out that the Congress had accepted the ECI’s functioning when they won Karnataka in 2023. “In 2023, the BJP was in power both at the Centre and in the state. Yet Congress won there with a thumping majority. At that time, the Election Commission was fine. The EVMs were also fine. But now, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when BJP wins more seats, suddenly the Election Commission is not good and the EVMs are not reliable?”
BJP MP Kangana Calls Rahul Gandhi ‘Sore Loser’, Shekhawat Says ‘SC Will Pull Him Up Again’
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also joined the party’s attack, questioning the opposition’s double standards. “Elections are held in many states across the country. Their results sometimes go against us, and the opposition comes to power. When their (opposition) government wins in Karnataka and Punjab, everything is fine, but when we win, they call it rigging,” she told ANI, calling Rahul Gandhi a “sore loser”.
#WATCH | Delhi | BJP MP Kangana Ranaut says, “Elections are held in many states across the country. Their results sometimes go against us, and the opposition comes to power. When their (opposition) government wins in Karnataka and Punjab, everything is fine, but when we win, they… pic.twitter.com/5PUflAeLHL
— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, quoted by ANI, remarked, “What Rahul Gandhi said in his press conference today proves and cements the importance of SIR even more… The Supreme Court had pulled him once, I think with such statements and attacking yet another Constitutional body, he is paving path for another rebuke by the Supreme Court.”
#WATCH | Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat says, “What Rahul Gandhi said in his press conference today proves and cements the importance of SIR even more…The Supreme Court had pulled him once, I think with such statements and attacking yet another Constitutional body, he… pic.twitter.com/0WuwhJzr3z
— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025
The Lok Sabha LoP, in his presser, claimed that an analysis of the voter data pertaining to a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka showed that elections were rigged by the ECI at the behest of the BJP to help the saffron party “steal” votes and win the seat in the 2024 general elections. There is a huge “criminal fraud” being perpetrated across the country by the Election Commission and the “party in power”, the Congress leader alleged, in an apparent reference to the BJP.
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