Leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will gather at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s residence on August 7 for a dinner meeting, sources confirmed on Sunday. The gathering comes amid renewed allegations by Gandhi regarding large-scale rigging in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting follows Gandhi’s claim during the Congress Legal Conclave that 70–80 Lok Sabha seats may have been manipulated in the general elections. He alleged the election system in India is “already dead” and accused the Election Commission of “disappearing” in the face of documented irregularities, which he claimed his party uncovered over a six-month investigation.
Sources suggest the dinner meet will also touch upon key issues raised in the Parliament monsoon session — including Operation Sindoor, voter list manipulation under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, alleged fake voters in Maharashtra, and national security concerns like the Pahalgam terror attack.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said these issues — including the mass deletion and addition of voters — have effectively disenfranchised many, especially migrant workers. She reiterated the bloc’s demand for accountability from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
BJD MPs Sasmit Patra and Amar Patnaik have also flagged the deteriorating law and order situation in light of recent incidents, which could figure into the bloc’s discussions.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has confirmed his attendance and intends to raise concerns over the SIR in Bihar, which he claimed is being used to engineer electoral outcomes in favour of the ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance.
Communist Party leader D Raja also acknowledged Rahul Gandhi’s outreach, although he noted that a formal agenda for the dinner meeting has not yet been circulated.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission clarified that it had invited Rahul Gandhi for a meeting regarding his rigging claims in Maharashtra but is yet to receive a response from him. (ANI)
