Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ready to hold a special session of Parliament to address allegations of vote theft made by the Opposition. Speaking at a BJP state working committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to bring their accusations against the Election Commission to the parliamentary floor.
Shah dismissed the allegations as unfounded and criticized the Opposition for opting for street protests instead of engaging in parliamentary discussions. His comments followed plans by the Opposition to stage demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. These plans include a symbolic public impeachment event and a significant protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, focusing on what they describe as threats to democratic institutions.
The INDIA bloc, which includes various opposition parties, had initially intended to conduct the symbolic event at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. However, this was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. The Opposition has voiced concerns about the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, suggesting that the process might disadvantage voters and favor the ruling BJP.
During his speech, Shah also took the opportunity to criticize the electoral performance of Congress and the Samajwadi Party, asserting that their leaders have blamed the Election Commission rather than accepting responsibility for their electoral losses. He defended the BJP’s political track record and accused the Opposition of raising allegations of vote theft only after losing elections.