He said in an opinion piece for The Indian Express that a five-step procedure was employed to sway the election results in favor of the Mahayuti alliance, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
With a record 132 seats won by the BJP alone, this coalition—which consists of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena—secured 235 of the 288 assembly seats.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges 5-Step Model to Rig Elections: A Systematic Subversion of Democracy
In a sharp attack on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the government of using a calculated five-step model to manipulate the electoral process and subvert democracy. According to Gandhi, this model has been designed to tilt the balance of power in favor of the ruling party and involves the misuse of national institutions.
The Alleged 5-Step Election Rigging Model
Gandhi detailed what he called a systematic method to rig elections, alleging the following steps were used:
Manipulating the panel responsible for appointing the Election Commission
Adding fake or ineligible voters to electoral rolls
Artificially inflating voter turnout numbers
Targeting specific constituencies with bogus voting
Erasing or hiding evidence of electoral manipulation
He claimed that this rigging was not isolated but structured on a national scale, threatening the very fabric of Indian democracy.
Controversy Over Appointment of Election Commissioners
A significant part of Gandhi’s criticism centered on the 2023 changes to the Election Commissioners Appointment Act, which replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister on the selection committee.
Gandhi argued that this move gave excessive control to the executive, effectively compromising the independence of the Election Commission. He called it “industrial-scale rigging,” with national institutions being used as tools for political gain.
Election Commission and BJP Respond
In response to the allegations, the Election Commission maintained that it functions autonomously and strictly follows constitutional provisions. It defended the increase in registered voters, stating that the numbers were the result of youth-driven enrollment and targeted awareness campaigns.
BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha dismissed Gandhi’s claims, stating that such increases in voter registration were normal and had also occurred during Congress-led elections in the past. He accused Gandhi of “manufacturing conspiracy theories to stay politically relevant.”
BJP Labels Gandhi’s Claims as Misleading
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya strongly rebuked Gandhi’s remarks, calling them an attempt to undermine public faith in democratic institutions.
“It is not that Rahul Gandhi doesn’t understand how the electoral process works. He does—very well. But his goal is not clarity, it is chaos,” Malviya said.
He even compared Gandhi’s strategy to George Soros’s alleged playbook, implying it aimed to create distrust and confusion for political advantage.
Opposition Backs Concerns Over Election Integrity
Several opposition leaders have echoed Gandhi’s concerns. Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge has demanded a return to paper ballots, alleging that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are vulnerable to manipulation.
Gandhi went a step further, warning that upcoming elections in Bihar and other states could face similar “match-fixing”, especially where the BJP risks losing.
“Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy,” Gandhi said, emphasizing the urgency to restore trust in the electoral system.