All that can be said about the relevance of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘atom bomb’ explosion regarding electoral rolls is that it has provided a ‘cause’ around which the opposition parties can unite. Otherwise, the INDI Alliance has been falling apart because each party has its own axe to grind in its respective area of influence. However, the danger with aligning with Rahul Gandhi’s agenda is that it mostly lacks credibility and is based entirely on his sense of entitlement.
It is pertinent to note that the very allegations he is making regarding a constituency in Karnataka is what he is persistently denying in the case of Bihar. He is accusing the Election Commission of having deliberately introduced fake voters in the Karnataka voters’ lists. How could the ECI do that? The Commission has repeatedly asked him and the political parties to make their objections known in the proper way. Interestingly, in Bihar, not a single objection has been filed by any party against SIR, thus far.
The problem is that the Congress no longer has the cadre on the ground to keep an eye on constituencies at the panchayat, municipal, assembly and parliamentary levels on a regular basis. The same is the case with other parties that constitute ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’, rather than political activists. It is very much possible that there are a large number of fake voters in the Karnataka electoral rolls, but how does Rahul Gandhi know that these are BJP supporters? Is it because the party won from that particular constituency? Is he not aware that polls are conducted by local government functionaries brought under the EC fold for the election period? Is he alleging that these functionaries, which number in the lakhs during general elections, have worked for the BJP even in opposition ruled states?
The electoral rolls need to be revised as frequently as possible, particularly before elections are held, to ensure there is no scope for fake voting. From the time when entire booths were taken over and ballot boxes stuffed, things have moved on to EVMs, VVPATS, CCTV coverage, and improved protocols, so that there is better and more accurate capture of the people’s mandate. Are things not moving in the right direction? What purpose will allegations against the EC serve? The tactic of attacking the credibility of the EC, if it proves successful, will only lead to undermining Indian democracy. It makes one wonder which force would want such an outcome?
