New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the Election Commission (EC) made during a meeting in Boston. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Gandhi of undermining India's democratic institutions from foreign soil.

In a post on X, Bhandari said, "Anti-democracy, anti-India Rahul Gandhi, who could not win the trust of the Indian electorate, begins to question the Indian democratic process on foreign soil."

Bhandari also questioned Gandhi's intentions, claiming he was aligned with foreign interests. "Why does Rahul always defame India on foreign soil? An agent of George Soros who is fighting the Indian state - that's what Rahul Gandhi's intent today is," his post further read.

Rahul Gandhi's allegations in Boston

The BJP's reaction came after Rahul Gandhi, during his address to the Indian diaspora in Boston, claimed that the Election Commission was "compromised" and that there was something fundamentally wrong with the system.

Citing the Maharashtra Assembly elections as an example, he said, "More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in the state of Maharashtra. The Election Commission provided us with a voting figure for 5:30 PM, and between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, 65 lakh voters cast their votes. This is physically impossible to happen. For a voter to vote, it takes approximately 3 minutes. If you do the Math, it would mean that there were lines of voters until 2 AM, but this did not happen. When we asked them for the videography, they not only refused but they also changed the law so that now we are not allowed to ask for the videography."

"It's very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and there is something very wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times," he added.

Further criticism from BJP

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also condemned Gandhi's remarks, stating, "Rahul Gandhi's identity is to humiliate Indian organisations and institutions on foreign soil. He goes abroad and makes comments on India's Constitution, judiciary, and questions the Election Commission of India (ECI). This shows how people, while going against PM Modi, have started going against the country."

Election Commission responds

Earlier, sources in the Election Commission refuted the allegations of manipulated electoral rolls. They pointed out that only a few appeals were made under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act for corrections or inclusions under Sections 22 and 23 during the recent Special Summary Revision (SSR) published on 6-7 January 2025.

The SSR involves reviewing the voter list, introducing a draft electoral roll, and updating entries by adding eligible voters and removing duplicates or deceased voters.

According to sources, only 89 appeals were recorded in Maharashtra. Despite 13,857,359 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) present across the country, just 89 appeals for changes were made. Therefore, officials said, the Electoral Rolls published after the SSR were accepted as undisputed by all parties.

ANI