Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], August 12 (HBTV): Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Saturday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging election rigging, challenging him to present evidence to support his claim.

Sharma questioned whether the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had personally witnessed the voting process.

‘He (Rahul Gandhi) has been talking about 100 per cent proof for quite some time. They should also show this evidence. Has he ever gone to any booth on any day? If he had seen this process, he would know how many people sit together to make this decision,’ Sharma told ANI.

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his claim that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were ‘rigged’ and said he had proof to substantiate the allegation. Addressing the annual legal conclave titled Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives & Pathways, Gandhi alleged that the election system in India was ‘already dead’ and that he suspected over 80 Lok Sabha seats were manipulated.

‘The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. The Prime Minister of India holds office with a very slim majority. If 15 seats were rigged, we suspect that the number is over 70 to 80, he would not have been the Prime Minister of India. We are going to prove to you in the coming few days how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged and was rigged,’ Gandhi said.

He added that he had harboured doubts about electoral integrity since 2014 and questioned the BJP’s sweeping victories in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Gandhi also pointed to Maharashtra, where he claimed one crore new voters appeared in the rolls within months before the assembly elections, with most votes going to the BJP.

‘In the Lok Sabha, we won the election. And then four months later, we didn’t just lose, we were obliterated. Three formidable parties suddenly just evaporated. We started to look seriously for electoral malpractice. We found that in Maharashtra, one crore new voters appeared between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. The bulk of those votes go to the BJP. Now, I say with absolutely no doubt that we have proof,’ Gandhi said.

(ANI)