Rahul Gandhi Faces Science Test in Art of Elections
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi! (Image INC India)
While Gandhi focuses on alleged voter fraud, he may also examine the CPI(ML)’s election management in Bihar
By MANISH ANAND
NEW DELHI, August 10, 2025 — Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has made his case that the election mandate of 2024 had been stolen. He produced mounds of evidence before the media of the alleged voters’ manipulation in the Mahadevpura Assembly constituency of the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) summarily dismissed claims of Gandhi with “factcheck”, calling allegations “misleading.” Gandhi has not submitted his claims made before the media under oath to the ECI as desired by the poll body.
The Congress appears to have shifted focus form alleged tempering of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to the Electoral Rolls. Until a few months after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had stayed with the narrative of EVM tampering. Now, the focus is alleged voters’ manipulations.
Between the shift of focus of the Congress lies the party’s readiness to face the fact that politics is now not just an art. Election management, which is the core of politics, is now more of a science than art. There is a method involved in winning elections. The formula is tried, tested, and replicated.
Participation of political parties in the process of addition of new voters is the core step in the process of election management. This can be better understood by taking the case of Delhi Assembly elections, which were held earlier this year.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began poll preparations in Delhi one year in advance. The BJP’s key poll strategists said that they were advised by an election expert who had been spurned by the Congress. His core advice to the BJP was to “maximise the voters’ participations in elections of sympathisers and likely supporters, while minimising those who would have supported the rivals.”
Furthermore, the emphasis was to turn the attention of the full might of the party machinery on not all the 70 Assembly seats but “just 52 constituencies.” When polls became imminent, the BJP focus was further narrowed to just 42 Assembly seats, said a key BJP strategist.
To give effect to key strategies adopted by the BJP, the saffron foot soldiers as a part of the election management went on to take part in the electoral roll revision. They were instrumental in helping the people in Delhi join the electoral roll. Similar exercise was being done by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Political parties as a routine make efforts for helping their likely supporters join the electoral roll.
The whole exercise gained popular attention in Delhi as the AAP made allegations of a largescale deletion of voters in the New Delhi Assembly seat. Eventually, AAP’s poll mascot and then Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal lost the elections to the BJP’s Pravesh Varma.
Purpose behind political parties strengthening cadre at the polling booth level is also for key purpose of keeping an eye on voters’ list and election management. Polling booth workers also man the tables on days of elections, as they watch suspecting voters while having the right to challenge them.
While Gandhi turns his attention to the alleged voters’ fraud, he may also study the election management of the CPI (ML) in Bihar. The Left party in Bihar fiercely guards its turf, and stays directly in touch with the people to plug all gaps in election management.
(This is an opinion piece, and views expressed are those of the author only)
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