In a fiery press conference held in New Delhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi leveled serious allegations against the Election Commission (EC) of India. Gandhi accused the EC of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rig elections by manipulating the voter rolls in states like Karnataka.

Gandhi claimed that the Congress party has uncovered evidence pointing to the presence of duplicate voters and fake addresses in the Karnataka electoral lists. He presented portions of the alleged manipulated voter data to the media, insisting that these were part of a systematic effort by the BJP, with the tacit support of the Election Commission, to distort democratic outcomes in their favor.

"Fake people are being added to voter lists in large numbers. This is not just an error; this is intentional fraud being conducted to manipulate elections," Gandhi said. "The Election Commission, whose job is to safeguard our democracy, is acting like an extension of the BJP’s election machinery."

The Congress leader’s accusations come ahead of crucial by-elections and amid preparations for future state and national polls. He demanded an independent inquiry into the matter and called on the EC to take immediate corrective measures.

Rahul Gandhi's statements are likely to intensify the ongoing political battle over electoral integrity in India. While the BJP has yet to respond officially to the accusations, the comments are expected to create waves across party lines, as questions about voter data management and electoral transparency continue to loom large in the public discourse.