If the Indian media did its job, the Election Commission would be under immense public pressure to clean up the voter lists, plug avenues of fraud, and ensure free and fair elections. Instead of asking hard questions of EC, media has normalised their failures. Rahul Gandhi has been consistently exposing 'vote chori'. Each time, large sections of the media rush to mock or discredit him. And yet, he is the one proven right. Rahul Gandhi is choosing to fight the structural battles. 'Vote chori' is not about election results; it’s about the survival of democracy itself. If the sanctity of the vote is destroyed, elections become a ritual, not a choice. Ask yourself, why does the EC tolerate lakhs of fake and duplicate entries in electoral rolls? Why did the EC look away when Rs 10,000 was transferred to 1.5 crore women in Bihar just days before polling? This is what a compromised institution looks like. Only an aggressive opposition, a vigilant media, and an active civil society can restore constitutional democracy in India.
