Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 8: In a surprising show of solidarity amid visible internal differences, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has come out in support of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s explosive allegations of voter fraud during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to “steal” the Bangalore Central seat through large-scale manipulation in the Mahadevapura assembly segment. Armed with a PowerPoint presentation, he claimed that over one lakh votes were fraudulently added, terming the polls a “choreographed” exercise to benefit the ruling party.

The BJP dismissed the charges as “baseless” and accused Gandhi of indulging in political theatre. The Election Commission challenged him to file an affidavit-backed complaint, circulating a format for the same.

Despite earlier differences over ‘Operation Sindoor’—where Tharoor refrained from supporting the party’s criticism of the government—the Thiruvananthapuram MP endorsed Gandhi’s concerns, stressing the need for transparency.

“These are serious questions which must be seriously addressed in the interests of all parties and all voters. Our democracy is too precious to be undermined by incompetence, carelessness, or worse, deliberate tampering,” Tharoor stated in a social media post. He further urged the EC to act swiftly and keep the public informed.

BJP media cell chief Amit Malviya lashed out at Gandhi, saying that failure to submit the promised affidavit would expose his lack of evidence and intent to “tarnish” a constitutional institution. “Such conduct is reckless and harmful to our democracy,” Malviya remarked.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra threw her weight behind her brother, questioning the EC’s refusal to share voter lists and initiate a probe. “From the kind of statements coming from the BJP and the Election Commission, one thing is absolutely clear: there is massive fraud happening,” she asserted.

The controversy has added another chapter to the Congress’s ongoing internal strains, even as the party intensifies its attacks on the government over alleged electoral malpractice.