'They'll stop vote-chori': Rahul Gandhi's shoutout to Gen-Z; BJP retorts
What's the story
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called upon the youth, students, and Generation Z of India to "protect the Constitution, defend democracy, and prevent vote theft." His comments came after he alleged a mass deletion of voters in Karnataka's Aland constituency. The allegations were made by Gandhi at a press conference where he claimed that 6,018 names were deleted from the voter list.
Press con
'Gen Z is against family rule'
After the press conference, Gandhi took to X to write, "The country's youth, the country's students, the country's Gen Z will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft. I will always stand with them. In response to Gandhi's appeal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey asked why Gen Z would support him. Dubey said, "Gen Z is against family rule. Why would they tolerate Rahul Ji after Nehru Ji, Indira Ji, Rajiv Ji, Sonia Ji?"
Political backlash
Why would Gen Z support Rahul? BJP MP asks
Dubey also questioned why Gen Z wouldn't want a Hindu state in India if they wanted one in Nepal. "They want an Islamic state in Bangladesh and a Hindu state in Nepal. Why won't they make India a Hindu nation? Start preparing to leave the country - they are coming," Dubey said.
Dismissed claims
BJP responds to Gandhi's allegations
Addressing the press conference on Thursday, Gandhi had claimed he has "100% proof" of the vote deletion, which, he said, is being done in a centralized manner. "This is being done not using individuals but using software. Look at the serial numbers...A software is picking up the first name in the booth and using it to delete votes." He also claimed that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar "is protecting the people who are doing this."
ECI
ECI response
The ECI quickly shut down Gandhi's claims, stating that no deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public. While the ECI clarified that no deletion can occur, it acknowledged some unsuccessful attempts to delete electors in Aland "An FIR was filed by the authority of ECI itself to investigate the matter. As per records, Aland Assembly Constituency was won by Subhadh Guttedar (BJP) in 2018 and BR Patil (INC) in 2023.