The recent revelations by Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader in India, pointing to the election irregularities in Karnataka and Maharashtra, are shocking and yet sad. Undoubtedly, the solid evidence provided to show the massive fraud orchestrated to defy voters’ will is a clear indication of the demise of a venerable institution like the Election Commission, which may prove to be a death knell for Democracy itself.
The Election Commission has become a vassal in the hands of the BJP, infringing its independence and transforming it into a subsidiary of the government machinery, contrary to what the framers of the Constitution intended. The removal of the Chief Justice from the EC selection process, while supplanting him with the Home Minister and appointing Government bureaucrats amenable to the whims of the ruling disposition, was the beginning of the end of this great institution that was known for its independence and integrity. These explosive revelations throw into doubt not only the integrity of past elections but also their usability and value, as they have become a mockery of deceit and thievery.
The crux of the matter here is the overreach of the Executive branch, exercising its power in any way possible to maintain control, whether the people desired it or not. Transparency and fairness in an election are no longer their concern as they are obsessed with power grab to perpetuate an ideology that has little or no sway over the average voter, who is struggling to survive in Modi’s economy.
At a press conference on August 7, 2025, Rahul Gandhi leveled serious allegations of electoral fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment (part of Bangalore Central), accusing the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the BJP to engineer what he termed “vote chori” (vote theft). Mr. Gandhi alleges manipulation via duplicate registrations, fake addresses, misused Form 6 entries, and more and as a result 100,000 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura constituency in Bangalore via five manipulating tactics: 11,965 duplicate voter entries, 40,009 fake or invalid addresses, 10.452 bulk entries from a single or invalid address, 4132 entries with invalid photos and 33,692 misuses of form, 6 (new voter additions). Mahadevapura (SC) stands out: it recorded approximately 115,046 vote margin—the largest among all assembly segments.
The question everyone is now asking is whether the EC is directly involved in orchestrating voter duplication to skew results and aid the BJP government. In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress identified duplicate EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers assigned to persons across constituencies. Similar accusations have surfaced in Maharashtra and Delhi, raising concerns about “fake voters” being inserted into the rolls.
Congress also alleges large-scale voter fraud in the recently concluded Maharashtra elections. Between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections (in 5 months), approximately 40.8 lakh new voters were added to the voter rolls. Of these newly added voters, over 18 lakhs were concentrated across 78 constituencies in just 13 Lok Sabha segments. BJP and its allies won 68 of them. Congress alerted the authorities also about the arbitrary deletion of voters, about 10,000 per constituency, followed by large-scale additions, potentially disenfranchising voters who may be loyal to the opposition.
Historical research has always shown critical vulnerabilities in EVM (Electronic Voting Machines) hardware and software. Although VVPATS were added to allay those concerns, only a tiny fraction (0.3%) of machines get their VVPATS counted. The Election Commission has always rejected the close monitoring of EVMs and asserted that they are tamper-proof. We are living in an age where even sophisticated systems with high levels of security are under attack from cybercriminals. The Defense Department in the U.S. believes that 15% of the “specially built for Pentagon” chips that go into aircraft and missiles are counterfeit, and they have no way of finding out. However, EC aims to convince the country that the commodity microcontroller and other electric components in an EVM pose no greater threat than the Systems in a technologically advanced country like the U.S. There may not be a machine in the world that is truly impenetrable!
Therefore, the critical question is whether these two threads are linked – the voter roll fraud and EVM manipulation. There is a growing body of critics who also believe that voter list fraud and EVM manipulations are intrinsically linked. What is the point of adding fake or ghost voters if they are unable to vote, as they are simply non-existent? If ghost voters “vote” (or their votes are effectively pre-programmed), the EVM may record ballots favoring a particular party. Thus, even if turnout looks ‘normal’, the final vote share distribution can be tilted systematically.
There have been sporadic and unverified reports of discrepancies between the number of votes polled and those counted by some of the defeated candidates, alleging thousands of extra votes in certain constituencies. In another instance, errors during mock polling (in Kasaragod, Kerala) saw EVMs registering extra votes for a particular party, allegedly due to VVPAT malfunction. The design of India’s EVMs relies entirely on the physical security of the machines and the integrity of election insiders. There was a story from Madhya Pradesh about CCTV cameras being installed at a storage area after electricity was cut off, raising suspicions and creating further innuendos. All these reports fuel further speculations in this whole election process, questioning the accuracy and integrity of EVM counting.
In the aftermath of Congress’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh in 2023, Mr. Digvijay Singh, a senior leader of the Congress Party and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, publicly questioned the reliability of EVMs: On X (formerly Twitter), he stated, “Any machine with a chip can be hacked. I have opposed voting by EVM since 2003.” He warned: “Can we allow our Indian Democracy to be controlled by professional hackers! On ECI and Hon Supreme Court, would you please defend our Indian Democracy? “
Even countries with advanced technology, like Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of the U.S., returned to paper ballots because trust and auditability are more critical than speed or convenience in elections. Germany introduced electronic voting in 1998 and abolished it nationwide in 2009. The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany ruled that “EVMs violated the requirements – citizens could not independently verify that voters were recorded and counted correctly. There were obvious concerns in the country over software manipulation and a lack of auditability.
In the United States, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machines were introduced in early 2000. However, security researchers and election officials reported software bugs and hacking vulnerabilities. As a result, VVPAT systems were introduced to ensure audits. But today, most States require paper trails, with some phasing out pure DRE machines entirely.
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the United States, has raised significant concerns regarding the security of electronic voting systems. In April 2025, she revealed that her office had uncovered evidence of vulnerabilities in these systems, which could allow hackers to manipulate election outcomes. During a Cabinet meeting, Gabbard presented this information to President Donald Trump and advocated for a nationwide transition back to paper ballots to ensure election integrity.
Gabbard’s call for paper ballots is rooted in the belief that they provide a more secure and verifiable method of voting. She has been a vocal advocate for this cause, introducing legislation such as the Securing America’s Elections Act of 2018, which aimed to require voter-verified paper ballots in federal elections. This legislation sought to ensure that paper ballots serve as the definitive record of votes cast, especially in cases of audit or recount, and to allow voters to verify and correct any errors before their permanent paper ballot is preserved for official government record.
The allegations raised by Rahul Gandhi, supported by detailed evidence of voter roll irregularities in Karnataka and Maharashtra, coupled with historical concerns over EVM vulnerabilities, highlight a deepening crisis of trust in India’s electoral process. When independent institutions like the Election Commission are perceived as compromised or overly influenced by the ruling party, the very foundation of democracy, free, fair, and transparent elections, is at risk.
In an era of sophisticated cyber threats and political overreach, the push toward paper ballots or verifiable hybrid systems is not merely a technological preference; it is a defense of democratic integrity itself. Ensuring that every vote counts, every voter is represented, and every result can be audited is essential for restoring public trust and safeguarding the future of Indian Democracy.
(George Abraham is a former UN Chief Technology Officer. He is the Vice Chair of IOC USA. He can be reached at gta777@gmail.com)
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