‘All elections are rigged’: Rahul Gandhi says anti-incumbency cannot simply disappear in a democracy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed he was “100 per cent sure” that elections in India were being rigged, alleging that the destruction of votes amounted to an attack on the Constitution and democratic institutions.

Addressing a press conference, Gandhi said, “100 per cent sure that elections are rigged. All elections are rigged,” while questioning how anti-incumbency appeared to have disappeared in India.

Gandhi began the press conference by playing a purported video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in which Shah is heard saying that the BJP government would remain in power for 30 years.

“I come from a political family. No political leader can say or make such statements,” Gandhi said, referring to the purported remarks.

He said anti-incumbency was a political force that eventually affected every government, citing the example of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who, he said, won the Bangladesh war but faced “massive anti-incumbency and pressure” within a year or two.

“The same happens to leaders after leaders. For some reason, it doesn’t happen to Narendra Modi, Mr Shah, or the BJP,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi said the movement of electoral support between states and the apparent absence of anti-incumbency had been a “fundamental question” for the Congress.

“We can understand the popularity of a person, understand the performance of a government. But can’t understand how anti-incumbency disappears. It doesn’t exist in North Korea. There is no democracy where anti-incumbency doesn’t work. We are looking for answer to where it went here. And we have found answers,” he said.

Gandhi said the vote was the source of constitutional power and argued that any destruction of votes would consequently undermine the Constitution.

“From the vote, the Constitution gets power and from constitution our laws are made,” he said.

“If the vote has been destroyed, then our Constitution has been destroyed. It no longer has its power. If our Constitution is destroyed, our laws are illegal, and our institutions are attacked,” Gandhi said.

(This is a developing news story)