Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations of Vote Chori in Karnataka Lok Sabha Election

• Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote chori” in the 2024 Karnataka Lok Sabha election are self-serving and fraught with political implications.

• The allegations are based on assessments made by his team, not on political suspension of disbelief.

• The allegations are not based on evidence of electoral irregularities, but on political conspiracy theory.

• The EC’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision shifts the burden of proof on voters and sets impractical timelines ahead of the Bihar election.

• Gandhi’s allegation of the stolen election has hardly taken any takers among Congress allies, which has implications for India’s main Opposition party.

• The EC’s response to the LoP is disserviceful to both itself and the Opposition party.

• The EC needs to respond to Gandhi’s allegations with the same alacrity as it did to suspend four election officials in West Bengal for alleged electoral roll manipulation.

• The EC must recover its institutional voice to deal with the challenge of who is a citizen and who isn’t, and should not continue to use Article 324 as its shield.