Letters to The Editor — August 9, 2025

The Hindu

8 hours ago

Proof of 'elections stolen'
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's detonation of his 'atom bomb proof of vote chori' — allegations of massive voter theft in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka — raises serious questions about the very sanctity of the electoral process. Mr. Gandhi's claim that a Congress party team spent six months analysing voter data to spot gross irregularities, is too serious to be dismissed either by the Election Commission of India (ECI) or the Bharatiya Janata Party, the alleged beneficiary of such irregularities. The institutional integrity of the ECI and its competence are at stake. Mr. Gandhi has put out full and verifiable data in the public domain. The ECI must probe the allegations in a transparent manner. It is needless to mention that Mr. Gandhi and his party will pay a heavy political cost if his allegations are found to be baseless and malicious.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
There is no obvious reason to dispute the evidence-based exposé of large-scale electoral roll manipulations. One must consider that a team of his party workers completed a seemingly impossible task of meticulously analysing entries from piles of paper sheets over months. Other skeletons may emerge if a similar exercise is conducted in several other constituencies. The common man is unconcerned with the ECI hunting for technicalities in Mr. Gandhi's fight with the ECI. They only want clear answers for each of his 'open and shut' instances of voter list manipulation.
Kamal Laddha,
Bengaluru
A fair and free election does not mean the pride in computing voter turnout only. It also means a true voters' list. The Election Commission has to prove that it is clean.
M. Xavier,
Vallioor, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
If what the Congress leader has alleged has any substance or evidentiary value, it is a blow to democracy. The evidence given by the Congress leader is already in the public domain and the ECI can straightaway take up a detailed probe. If the probe falsifies the allegations, let the law take its course against him. Else, there will be every justification to suspect the primacy, the sanctity and the integrity of the poll body.
V. Johan Dhanakumar,
Chennai
The charge of 'vote theft' has reignited the debate over the Election Commission's role. The BJP counters this as 'selective outrage', noting that the Congress never questioned the ECI's neutrality where it won. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, while cautioning against hasty electoral roll revisions, stresses that any bias or disenfranchisement — especially of the poor — would be a 'monstrous development'. My view is that the ECI, as an independent constitutional body, is an easy target for Opposition parties after an electoral defeat — just as the BJP might have done if in the opposition. The Congress, long used to being in power, seems unwilling to adapt itself to being out of power. However, the BJP too has erred in not accepting the Chief Justice of India as the neutral third member in the Chief Election Commissioner's selection panel, which would have strengthened institutional trust. A robust democracy demands both: credible elections and restraint in undermining constitutional bodies without solid proof.
Gopalaswamy J.,
Chennai
It is distressing that Mr. Gandhi has stooped low to salvage his fading image by issuing unwarranted and denigrating insinuations against a constitutional institution as exalted as the Election Commission of India. He has not shown any sign of remorse even after being reprimanded by the Supreme Court for his penchant of coming up with shallow public utterances. Mr. Gandhi should desist from attacking our democracy in such an irresponsible manner.
Ravi Mathur,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh