Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi criticised Rahul Gandhi at the Rising Bharat Summit on Wednesday. Sanghvi said the Congress leader should stop blaming EVMs and focus on connecting with voters. He added, "If Congress wants to win an election, it needs to stop blaming EVMs, you need to go among people."
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi on Wednesday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on electoral processes, saying the Opposition party needs to focus on connecting with voters rather than blaming electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Speaking at the Rising Bharat Summit, Sanghvi compared Gandhi's predictions to weather forecasts during Congress rule and said the country could not be run on "filmy dialogues". "People have shown discontent with Rahul Gandhi every election," Sanghvi said. His remarks come amid an ongoing political confrontation between the Congress and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over allegations of electoral irregularities and the revision of voter lists.
The ECI has rejected allegations raised by Gandhi concerning voter deletions and the conduct of elections. On October 27, Gandhi held a public hearing in New Delhi over alleged voter irregularities during the SIR exercise. He claimed that 416 voters had been improperly removed from electoral rolls across four polling booths in the Trilokpuri area. He also called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or his removal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These claims were made by Gandhi and have not been independently established as findings. The SIR exercise has become a point of contention between the Opposition and the poll panel, with Opposition parties raising concerns over voter deletions and the transparency of electoral rolls.
The ECI has defended the revision process, maintaining that it is conducted in accordance with electoral laws. Sanghvi also questioned Congress' reliance on public relations agencies, arguing that electoral success required direct engagement with voters rather than communication strategies alone. "If Congress wants to win an election, it needs to stop blaming EVMs, SIR, you need to go among people. PR agencies cannot get you votes, they can write speeches, run social media strategies," he said.