In India, opposition parties are accusing the Election Commission of unfairness in the 2024 general elections. They claim that there were instances of vote theft and other violations during the electoral process. When opposition members of parliament demanded a debate on the electoral system, the session was suspended.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, citing data from the Election Commission, said that hundreds of thousands of fake or duplicate entries had been found in voter lists. He claimed that at some addresses, dozens or even hundreds of people were registered at the same location. He also alleged that CCTV footage from polling stations had been deleted.
The Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party rejected these allegations as “baseless.” The commission demanded that Gandhi either prove his claims or publicly apologize. Government representatives accused the opposition of trying to discredit democratic institutions.
In an investigation launched in June, 6.5 million names were removed from the rolls. The commission said this was due to duplicate records, deceased voters, and those who had moved to other states. Critics, however, claim that many voters, especially migrants and minority groups, were unfairly removed.
The Supreme Court of India has so far stated that there is insufficient evidence of large-scale voter exclusion, but said that if such cases are proven, immediate action will be taken.
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