Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 11: Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana on Monday published a scathing editorial accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, resulting in widespread electoral malpractice.

The editorial questioned the political neutrality of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s appointment and cited evidence presented by Rahul Gandhi alleging coordinated "vote theft" across 50-55 constituencies. It claimed irregularities including halted vote counts, postal ballot manipulation, and suspicious shifts in the final counting rounds that favoured the BJP.

Examples highlighted include Jaipur Rural, where Congress candidate Murari Lal Meena was reportedly leading until the last count, and Mumbai North West, where Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar lost under similar suspicious circumstances.

Saamana also accused the ECI of destroying electronic voting data for over 25 seats with narrow BJP victory margins and flagged voter list anomalies in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Bihar. In Karnataka’s Mahadevapura, the editorial alleged over one lakh bogus votes and multiple voting by some electors. Bihar was cited for hundreds of voters registered under identical addresses, such as 269 at “House No. 27” in Muzaffarpur.

Rahul Gandhi has demanded access to the past decade’s electronic voter rolls and complete election videography, warning refusal would constitute a “crime.” The Election Commission, meanwhile, has called Gandhi’s claims false and asked him to submit a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) or issue a public apology. The BJP dismissed the allegations as a political stunt.

The editorial ended with a caution that mounting public outrage over the alleged irregularities could spark protests targeting the Election Commission.