Forgetting 1971: Congress’s Blatant Double Standard

• The Congress party’s “vote theft” claims contradict its own historical record.
• Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against the EC are met with a demand for evidence.
• Historically, Congress has been accused of electoral malpractices in major elections, including the 1971 polls.

In a surprising reversal of historical roles, the Indian National Congress is now crying foul over what it calls “vote theft,” accusing the Election Commission (EC) and the ruling BJP of a “huge criminal fraud.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a “Vote Adhikaar Yatra” in Bihar, a state preparing for Assembly polls, to protest the ongoing revision of its voter list. His allegations, however, are a stark and ironic departure from the very history of electoral malpractice that his own party is accused of having pioneered.

The Election Commission has forcefully rejected these claims, defending its processes and challenging Gandhi to provide evidence under oath. The poll body clarified that political parties were involved in the preparation and revision of electoral rolls at all stages, and that Congress failed to raise its objections through the “right channels” at the appropriate time. This public standoff raises a critical question: Can a party with a questionable electoral past credibly claim to be the victim of the very crime it is alleged to have committed?

History offers a powerful counter-narrative to the Congress’s current claims. The party’s tenure in power, particularly under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, was marked by allegations of electoral malpractices that are now a part of India’s political history. The most glaring example is the 1971 Lok Sabha election, where Indira Gandhi’s landslide victory was tainted by accusations of misusing government machinery. The Allahabad High Court found her guilty of “electoral malpractice” in 1975, a verdict that led to her disqualification and, subsequently, the declaration of the Emergency, a dark chapter in Indian democracy.

Accusations against the Congress also extend to the very first general election of 1952, with allegations of voter manipulation contributing to the defeat of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The party has been criticized for alleged booth capturing and voter suppression in various state elections over the decades. The Dinesh Goswami Committee on electoral reforms was even formed to address some of the same issues that the Congress now alleges are being used against it. These historical instances of subversion of the democratic process make the party’s current moral outrage ring hollow.

The Congress’s latest allegations appear to be a desperate attempt to create a political narrative to explain away its repeated electoral defeats. By casting doubt on the EC, the party is not just attacking a political opponent but is attempting to delegitimize a core institution of India’s democracy. The “vote theft” narrative is a convenient excuse for Congress’ failure and a dangerous tool to undermine public trust in the electoral system.