The sensational revelations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the large scale electoral malpractices in the form of fake voter lists and indiscriminate polling patterns in different states and also in Lok Sabha elections last year kicked up a nationwide debate.
Rahul Gandhi exposed the inclusion of fake votes in the Karnataka Assembly and Lok Sabha elections with evidence.
He alleged that the Election Commission, with deliberate intent, added these bogus votes to help the BJP win elections. The Election Commission and the BJP have strongly denied the allegations.
Several opposition parties in the country, including Nationalist Congress Party headed by Sharad Pawar endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations.
Interestingly, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, too, raised several doubts over the polling in the state in 2024 elections.
In fact, party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and several YSRCP leaders, too, expressed their apprehensions over the manipulation of voters’ lists and electronic voting machines in the laast elections.
Yet, Jagan remained surprisingly silent over Rahul Gandhi’s claims and exposure of the electoral malpractices.
He did not issue even a single statement supporting the Congress leader’s claims. In fact, analysts said Jagan’s statement would have added weight to the charges, which has gained national spotlight.
But Jagan and other YSRCP leaders have remained silent on Rahul Gandhi’s allegations.
While leaders from both the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc have responded in their own way, YSRCP - which is aligned with neither coalition - has refrained from commenting.
Observers say the party could have used this moment to re-publicize its past complaints and evidence submitted to the Election Commission and the High Court. This silence has triggered speculation about a possible tacit understanding between the YSRCP and BJP.
Despite the fact that Jagan and other YSRCP leaders face ongoing CBI and ED investigations, and even with the likelihood of ED intervention in the liquor scam, the central government has not granted approval for such action.
Consequently, probes into Jagan’s cases - including the Viveka murder case and others - have been moving slowly. In such circumstances, political circles suggest that Jagan might fear provoking the Centre’s ire if he targets the Election Commission now.
