Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched a scathing attack on the central government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid reports that the CEC had ignored objections raised by fellow election commissioners over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Alleging that votes were being “stolen,” Gandhi described Kumar as a traitor to the nation and demanded his resignation. He warned that the Congress party would not remain a silent spectator while democracy was being dismantled in the country, adding that when votes are being stolen, questions inevitably arise over the legitimacy of laws passed by the resulting Parliament.
Gandhi referenced past statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had earlier predicted that the BJP would remain in power for 30 years and that the NDA would win more than 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He argued that no political leader in a functioning democracy could display such confidence, given the natural political phenomenon of anti-incumbency that eventually erodes public support for any government.
Citing history, Gandhi pointed to the aftermath of India’s 1971 victory in the Bangladesh war, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s popularity peaked but anti-incumbency sentiment set in against her government within a year or two. He said the same pattern of declining popularity had held true for Congress and regional party leaders over time, raising the question of why Modi, Shah, and the BJP appeared to be an exception to this rule.
Gandhi noted that power had changed hands periodically over the past five decades in states such as Haryana, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, driven by anti-incumbency. He said the puzzling absence of this effect at the national level under the current dispensation had troubled Congress leaders for a long time, prompting them to look for an explanation.
The Congress leader claimed the party had ultimately concluded that alleged vote theft was responsible for insulating the ruling party from the anti-incumbency that would otherwise be expected. His remarks come amid a wider political controversy surrounding the Election Commission, following reports that two election commissioners had formally raised objections multiple times over decisions related to the SIR exercise, objections that were reportedly not acted upon by Kumar. The Election Commission has maintained that all its decisions are taken within the constitutional and legal framework governing elections.