‘Party Theft’: Rahul Gandhi Slams ECI Over TMC Freeze
Public Lokpal
September 18, 2026
‘Party Theft’: Rahul Gandhi Slams ECI Over TMC Freeze
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging collusion with the ruling BJP to dismantle opposition parties.
His remarks came after the poll panel's interim order froze the All India Trinamool Congress' (TMC) name and "flowers and grass" symbol amid a leadership factional dispute ahead of West Bengal bypolls.
Drawing parallels to previous high-profile political upheavals, Gandhi stated, "First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern—BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party."
Coining new catchphrases to describe institutional decline, he declared, "Vote theft. Government theft. Now party theft—these have become symbols of our democratic decline."
Gandhi emphasized that the ECI is failing its constitutional duty to protect the people's verdict, framing the crisis as a collective battle for free and fair elections.