A group of 272 eminent citizens including 16 former judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, 14 ambassadors and 133 retired armed forces officers issued an open letter on Wednesday criticising Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for what they describe as “attempts to undermine constitutional institutions,” specifically the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The signatories said Gandhi’s repeated “vote chori” allegations, aimed at both the BJP and the poll body, risked damaging public faith in the country’s democratic processes.
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Signatories say allegations erode trust in institutions
According to the statement, the group accused Gandhi and the Congress of deliberately “tarnishing the credibility” of the EC by alleging widespread voter-list manipulation, fraud and centralised interference. They argued that such claims without verifiable evidence can create distrust and misrepresent how constitutional authorities function.
The letter was released amid Gandhi’s continued charge that voter lists in states such as Haryana and Karnataka were manipulated with duplicate entries, mismatched photographs, even examples like voters registered under “house number 0” and images allegedly lifted from social media, including that of a Brazilian model.
The Congress leader has described the situation as a “centralised operation” and the “live murder of democracy.”
EC, courts and parties respond
The Election Commission has repeatedly rejected the allegations as “baseless.” The Chief Election Commissioner has asked Gandhi to provide a sworn affidavit with names and specific examples of ineligible voters.
A PIL seeking an SIT probe into alleged irregularities in Karnataka was declined by the Supreme Court, which directed the petitioner to approach the EC for corrective action.
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While some local-level irregularities have surfaced in media reports, regional leaders like Akhilesh Yadav have backed Gandhi’s concerns over voter-roll errors. The BJP, however, maintains that the allegations are politically motivated and meant to question the EC’s integrity ahead of key elections.
The open letter’s full list includes all 272 names from the judiciary, bureaucracy, diplomatic corps and armed forces.
