India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday hit back at opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging electoral fraud, calling his remarks a “calculated deceit” and part of a broader Congress conspiracy to undermine democratic institutions. Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, had earlier accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter data in a Karnataka constituency during the 2024 general election, terming it a “criminal fraud”.
“There is a huge criminal fraud being perpetrated across the country by the Election Commission and the party in power,” Gandhi told reporters, without naming the BJP directly.
Reacting sharply, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned the comments as “irresponsible and shameless”, saying Gandhi was attacking a constitutional body out of “frustration and anger” over repeated electoral losses. “You are insulting the people of the country who voted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his work, honesty and leadership,” Prasad told reporters at the Parliament complex. “Calling the Election Commission a fraud crosses all limits.” Prasad also accused Gandhi of adopting “double standards” by questioning the poll panel only when the Congress loses elections. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan echoed the criticism, calling Gandhi “Bayan Bahadur” (a habitual statement-maker) and accusing the Congress of systematically targeting constitutional institutions.
“In the agony of losing power, Rahul Gandhi has completely lost his composure,” Pradhan said in a post on social media platform X. “This calculated deceit points to a larger conspiracy against India’s democracy and Constitution.”
He added that the Congress party’s “ideological hollowness” and history, including the imposition of the Emergency in the 1970s, reflected its “authoritarian mindset”.
Pradhan also questioned Gandhi’s silence when the Election Commission had invited political parties to raise concerns about the State-wise Information Reports (SIR) in Bihar, suggesting the Congress had failed to act at the appropriate time.
“People of Bihar and across India are ready to give a fitting reply to such opponents of democracy,” he said. The BJP’s pushback comes amid rising political tensions as the opposition ramps up its scrutiny of electoral processes following the party’s third consecutive win in the general elections. Gandhi and the Congress have accused the BJP of misusing institutions to retain power — a charge the BJP has consistently denied.
