Shashi Tharoor Backs Rahul Gandhi’s Explosive 'Vote Chori' Allegations : 'Serious Questions'
Shashi Tharoor backs Rahul Gandhi's explosive claim of electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, alleging BJP-ECI collusion. BJP hits back, calling the charges baseless and irresponsible.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has stepped into the political firestorm surrounding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, lending his voice to Rahul Gandhi’s explosive allegations of large-scale electoral fraud. In a bold move that signals a rare moment of alignment within the often-fractured Congress leadership, Tharoor backed Gandhi’s charge of a “criminal conspiracy” involving the BJP and the Election Commission of India.
Gandhi, who currently leads the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused the BJP and the poll body of rigging the election results to engineer a victory. Tharoor’s public support, posted on social media Friday, marked a notable shift for the MP who has recently drawn criticism from within his own party for taking independent and sometimes controversial stances.
“These are serious questions which must be seriously addressed in the interests of all parties and all voters,” Tharoor posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Our democracy is too precious to allow its credibility to be destroyed by incompetence, carelessness, or, worse, deliberate tampering.” He urged the Election Commission to respond transparently and restore public trust.
These are serious questions which must be seriously addressed in the interests of all parties & all voters. Our democracy is too precious to allow its credibility to be destroyed by incompetence, carelessness or worse, deliberate tampering. @ECISVEEP must urgently act &… https://t.co/RvKd4mSkae
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 8, 2025
A Rare Alliance Amid Internal Discord
Tharoor’s public endorsement of Gandhi’s claims marks a noticeable shift in tone. Over the past six months, the senior MP has stirred controversy within Congress ranks by praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offering pointed criticism of the Emergency era. These remarks have often put him at odds with his party and fueled BJP attacks.
Now, however, Tharoor’s alignment with Gandhi suggests that concerns over electoral integrity may be bridging even the widest divides within the Congress leadership.
Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Rigging Allegation: “A Staged Election”
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, dropped what he described as a bombshell. He alleged widespread vote rigging in the 2024 general elections and claimed the entire process had been “staged” to benefit the BJP.
At the heart of Gandhi’s charge is the Mahadevpura assembly segment in Karnataka. He alleged that the BJP inflated its lead there by a staggering 1,14,046 votes, a margin that ultimately helped the party secure victory in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat by 32,707 votes, despite the Congress leading in most other segments of the constituency.
“This is not just a statistical anomaly. This is theft,” Gandhi said. He further demanded that the Election Commission release machine-readable voter data from the last 10 to 15 years, along with CCTV footage from polling stations. “If the EC refuses to provide this data, they are complicit in the crime,” he stated bluntly.
BJP Fires Back: “Frustration Over Defeat”
The BJP quickly dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as baseless and inflammatory. In a scathing response, the ruling party accused him of undermining the democratic will of the people and insulting voters by calling their mandate a fraud.
“These are not the words of a responsible leader, but of someone frustrated by repeated electoral failures,” BJP spokespersons said. They condemned the Congress’s stance as “shameless and irresponsible.”
They added that Indian voters would continue to reject the Congress as long as it refused to accept democratic outcomes and clung to conspiracy theories.
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