Amid mounting controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday leveled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of being complicit in a massive "vote theft" operation aimed at helping the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Gandhi said the Opposition had conducted an independent six-month investigation after noticing irregularities in recent election outcomes, including the Madhya Pradesh and Lok Sabha polls. He claimed the investigation uncovered clear evidence of manipulation involving ECI officials.

“We have open-and-shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft. Those responsible — from top to bottom — will be held accountable. We will not spare anyone,” Gandhi declared.

Without naming specific individuals, Gandhi issued a sharp warning to current and former Election Commission officials. “You are working against the country. This is nothing short of treason. Even if you are retired, we will track you down,” he said.

Gandhi said suspicions were first raised after the recent elections and grew stronger after the Maharashtra Assembly polls, when an unexplained 1 crore new voters appeared on the final electoral list. “That’s when we realised the Election Commission wouldn’t act. So, we carried out our own investigation. What we found is like an atom bomb — once it’s out, the Commission won’t have anywhere to hide,” he added.

The Election Commission has yet to issue a response to these explosive allegations.

Meanwhile, Members of Parliament from the INDIA bloc are staging a protest in front of the Makkar Dawar in Parliament, demanding an urgent debate on the SIR process in Bihar. The protest follows a joint decision by INDIA bloc parties on Thursday to intensify demonstrations both inside and outside Parliament over what they claim is an attempt to manipulate electoral rolls.

The Election Commission is scheduled to release the draft electoral rolls for Bihar on Friday.