Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 18: Senior opposition leaders Supriya Sule of the NCP-Sharad Pawar faction and Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena-UBT have thrown their weight behind Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s explosive claims of large-scale voter manipulation, calling it a grave issue that threatens the foundations of Indian democracy.

Addressing the media in Mumbai on Thursday, Sule said Gandhi had raised “the right issue” by citing specific data and statistics pointing to alleged “vote-chori” (vote theft) in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections.

“This is a matter of deep concern and must be thoroughly investigated. Are citizens being denied their right to vote? If so, it’s a painful blow to the democratic process,” Sule said.

When asked if such concerns extended beyond Aland, she acknowledged the possibility and invited scrutiny of her own electoral win. "Start the inquiry with us — Baramati and Shirur — even though we won there. This is not a partisan issue. We're not raising this just because we’re in the Opposition," she clarified.

In response to the BJP's counter-accusation that the Opposition raises such concerns only after electoral defeats, Sule said defections within Opposition ranks were often forced, not voluntary.

“This exodus is driven by pressure from central agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax. We’ve all seen how intensely these agencies have been used. Things have slowed down a bit now. Unlike the BJP, we don’t have a powerful machine backing us,” she remarked.

Sule underlined the weight of Rahul Gandhi’s evidence, stating, “When it comes to vote-chori, data speaks for itself. Data doesn’t lie.”

Backing Sule’s stance, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Arvind Sawant also supported Gandhi’s allegations, accusing the Election Commission of lacking transparency.

“Rahul Gandhi has laid bare how the manipulation was done. In the last Assembly elections, 40 lakh new voters were added, but the Election Commission refuses to release even basic footage—like CCTV visuals from after 5 p.m. on polling day,” Sawant said.

These statements follow Rahul Gandhi’s press conference earlier in the day in Delhi, where he accused the BJP and the Election Commission of orchestrating a systematic attempt to delete legitimate voters and alter voter rolls in Aland, calling it part of a broader pattern of electoral interference.