Vote chori protest: Rahul Gandhi arrested in New Delhi

WEB DESK: Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been arrested in New Delhi along with other opposition leaders. He was leading the Vote Chori protest and was headed to Election Commission of India after he alleged that there was rigging during last June election.

As he was taken away Rahul Gandhi addressed his supporters reiterating that the current government cannot bear to engage with truth hence they are silencing him. His sister, Priyanka Gandhi, who was also with him has been rounded up as well.

The Lok Sabha opposition leader had alleged on Thursday that over one million fake voters were created in Mahadevapura constituency, Bangalore, to secure a BJP win. Speaking at the INC headquarters, he said his party won six of seven assembly seats in the area, but BJP clinched Mahadevapura by 114,046 votes due to voter fraud. He claimed a six-month investigation revealed duplicate voters, fake addresses, bulk voters, invalid photos, and misuse of Form 6. Rahul said this seat was key to BJP’s Lok Sabha victory, alleging PM Modi aimed for a two-thirds majority to alter India’s secular constitution.

Lok Sabha member, Shashi Tharoor who is also present at the INDIA bloc MPs’ protest took to X saying that members questioned the Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) as to why has it failed to address Rahul Gandhi’s serious concerns, focusing instead on formalities like oaths and affidavits, despite the data coming from the EC itself. He added it is in the EC’s own interest to clear doubts about the integrity and credibility of the electoral process. The flaws highlighted could be easily fixed, and providing clear answers would help dispel fears of voter list manipulation. In a democracy, they argued, the public is entitled to full transparency and a prompt, credible response from the Election Commission.

Bharat Jodo Yatra case

Not only that, members of India’s opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), had also voiced concern over remarks made by Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta during a hearing in a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi.

The case stems from comments Gandhi made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which the complainant claims undermined the armed forces’ morale. Justice Datta questioned Gandhi’s claim that China had taken 2,000 sq km of Indian territory, asking for credible evidence and noting that Article 19(1)(a) does not grant absolute free speech.

The court paused trial proceedings after Gandhi sought to quash the case. INDIA bloc leaders said such judicial remarks affect the opposition’s democratic role and stressed political leaders’ duty to raise national issues. The BJP welcomed the court’s observations, with Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar accusing Gandhi of making unsubstantiated, politically motivated claims about territorial losses to China.

Leading to arrest

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, seeking documents to back his allegations of voter fraud during 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As per details, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka had asked Gandhi to provide documents to substantiate his allegations of vote theft in Mahadevapura assembly segment which is part of Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat. It sought the details after Rahul Gandhi’s press conference in New Delhi on August 7, in which he had claimed that some people voted twice and had committed voted fraud. The ECI said that the documents for the claims can be provided so that a detailed inquiry could be conducted in the matter. This is at least the second time when Rahul Gandhi has found himself in hot waters due to his public statements.