Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim of 'vote theft' in the recently concluded assembly elections, asserting that more than 100 seats were stolen in the state by the BJP with the support of the Election Commission. Gandhi made the remarks in an X post, calling the outcomes in both West Bengal and Assam 'clear cases' of electoral manipulation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a decisive victory in Assam and made significant inroads in West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress faced a major setback despite leading in early trends. While the TMC rejected the results, alleging irregularities, no formal legal challenge has been filed yet. Gandhi cited previous elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as precedents for what he described as a pattern of institutional interference.

Gandhi's statement marks a shift from his earlier criticism of Banerjee's governance, where he attributed the BJP's rise in Bengal to regional policy failures. The Congress party lost ground in Assam, failing to win a single seat. Both Gandhi and Banerjee used the Hindi phrase 'Chunav chori, sanstha chori' to amplify their allegations.

The Election Commission has not responded to the allegations. The court will not hear any election petitions before the official results are fully declared and verified by returning officers.