Rahul Gandhi questions 2024 Lok Sabha mandate

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his concerns about the integrity of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections during a speech at the Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad. He alleged that the election marked a significant shift in India's political landscape and raised questions about the credibility of the electoral process. Gandhi pointed to the massive influx of funds into the political system in 2014, which he claimed was unprecedented, and argued that it disrupted the traditional dynamics of close contests and coalition governments.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also questioned the voter data and the addition of new voters in Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly polls. He cited the categorization of 140 million people as non-voters or non-existent voters, raising doubts about the legitimacy of the election. Gandhi highlighted the contrasting results of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra, where the Congress-led Opposition alliance won the Lok Sabha contest but suffered a significant defeat in the Assembly elections just three months later.

He alleged that seven million new voters had been added to the rolls between the two elections, all of whom reportedly voted for the BJP.

Gandhi acknowledged that the Opposition initially struggled to adapt to the changes in the electoral system but claimed that they had proven, without a doubt, that democracy was destroyed in India in 2014.