Jaipur, Aug. 9 -- Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of colluding with the ruling BJP and undermining democracy. Addressing the media at his residence, Gehlot strongly backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of voter list manipulation, questioning the fairness and neutrality of the poll body. Gehlot said the EC, once held in high global regard, has lost public trust under the current regime. "There was a time when countries came to India to learn how to conduct elections. Today, even Indian citizens doubt the Election Commission's impartiality," he said. "BJP has ruined our institutions with its undemocratic conduct." The Congress veteran claimed that after Rahul Gandhi exposed discrepancies in the voter list, people across the country were worried. "When the EC is hand-in-glove with the ruling party, how will democracy survive?" he asked. "In the Lok Sabha polls, the margin was just 25 seats. BJP doesn't rig every seat-just the selected ones, enough to win," he said. He further alleged misuse of electoral bonds and called out the poll panel for its inaction despite the Supreme Court declaring them unconstitutional. Gehlot also criticized the process for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner. "Since the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection panel and the Union Home Minister was brought in, the EC's behaviour has changed. Its bias is evident," he said, citing his own experience of facing discriminatory treatment during a meeting with the EC as part of an opposition delegation. He slammed the Commission for asking state officials to respond to Rahul Gandhi's allegations instead of issuing a clarification itself. "The EC is behaving like a thief caught red-handed. Had it been honest, it would have provided voter list data in machine-readable formats like Excel, rather than making Congress spend six months to compile data manually." He strongly opposed the EC's suggestion that Gandhi take an oath before making such allegations. "Rahul Gandhi holds a constitutional post and is already bound by oath to uphold institutions. It's absurd to ask him to swear an oath again," Gehlot said. "If the EC were truly independent, it would have ordered an investigation into Gandhi's revelations rather than offering excuses. Even a complaint from a common citizen should prompt a probe," he added. Gehlot also pointed out that the election commission websites of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh were not functioning. "Maybe they will make them live after this press conference. Perhaps they are making some changes," he said. Commenting on the issue, BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said, "The Congress is in the habit of spreading lies, which is why they continue to lose repeatedly in the court of public opinion. They want to return to power through falsehoods."...