Rahul Gandhi Targets EC, BJP — But Is There a Smoking Gun?

Back in 2016, just before Parliament's Winter Session, Rahul Gandhi issued a dramatic warning. He claimed he would expose the Modi government over demonetisation, saying, “If they allow me to speak, then you will see what an earthquake will come.” That "earthquake" never materialised. The BJP went on to successfully weather the fallout of demonetisation and maintained its political momentum.

Nearly nine years later, with Bihar heading into a crucial Assembly election, Gandhi has returned with another explosive claim. This time, he alleges that the Election Commission (EC) is complicit in helping the BJP steal votes, promising to drop an “atom bomb” of evidence. “We will find you,” he warned, referring to both current and former EC officials supposedly involved in the conspiracy.

While many remain skeptical, given the lack of follow-through on past threats, Gandhi’s claim still raises significant questions about electoral integrity in India. In recent remarks, he hinted that the proof could be related to Maharashtra — a state where Congress has voiced concerns since last year’s elections.

Earlier this year, in an opinion piece for *The Indian Express*, Gandhi pointed to anomalies such as inflated voter numbers and unusually high turnout. He implied the electoral process was manipulated. However, subsequent scrutiny revealed that Congress’s own polling agents did not raise alarms about these figures during the elections. His claim about a 7.83% turnout increase—amounting to 76 lakh voters—was also explained by other plausible factors.

The question now is whether Gandhi and his party have more concrete evidence or whether this will go the way of his 2016 “earthquake” promise. There are deeper political calculations at play too: what does the Congress hope to achieve by questioning the very legitimacy of the election system? And if the Mahagathbandhan alliance ends up winning in Bihar, will the party still press the issue?

As the controversy unfolds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, on Saturday. During the visit, Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 2,200 crore. These include the 20th installment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for farmers, the expansion of the Varanasi-Bhadohi road into a four-lane highway, and the installation of modern equipment at cancer hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.

Additionally, Modi will initiate projects such as a new homoeopathic medical college and hospital, a district library, a museum at Munshi Premchand’s ancestral home in Lamahi, and an underground cabling system worth Rs 881 crore.

While Modi’s focus remains on infrastructure and governance, Gandhi’s escalating rhetoric over electoral fraud signals a different kind of political battle. The coming weeks will reveal whether the Congress truly possesses the evidence it claims or whether this too will fade like a political bluff.