New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asserted that the election system in India was “already dead,” and alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were “rigged” and that he has proof to substantiate the claim.

Addressing the annual legal conclave titled ‘Constitutional Challenges – Perspectives & Pathways’, Gandhi said that he suspected over 80 Lok Sabha seats were rigged in the 2024 general elections.

“The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. The Prime Minister of India holds office with a very slim majority. If 15 seats were rigged, we suspect that the number is over 70 to 80, he would not have been the Prime Minister of India. We are going to prove to you in the coming few days how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged and was rigged,” Gandhi said while addressing the gathering in the national capital.

Highlighting the six-month investigation carried out by Congress, he further alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) doesn’t exist and has disappeared. According to documentation received from the EC, Gandhi said that the Congress has ascertained that nearly 1.5 lakh voters out of 6.5 lakh who voted in the Lok Sabha elections were “fake”.

“It makes it clear that the institution that defends the constitution has been obliterated and taken over. We have such proof that will show the whole country that the institution of the Election Commission does not exist. It has disappeared. It has taken us 6 months of non-stop work to find this proof. You will see with zero doubt how a Lok Sabha election is stolen. 6.5 lakh voters vote, and 1.5 lakh of those voters are fake,” Gandhi said.

The LoP rekindled his suspicions regarding the election system, saying that he had his doubts about “something being wrong” since 2014. Questioning the BJP’s sweeping victories in the assembly elections of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi noted that they began investigating electoral malpractices following their defeat in Maharashtra, where one crore new voters appeared within months ahead of the assembly elections, ultimately voting for the BJP.

“I’ve been speaking recently about the election system. I had always suspected something was wrong, starting from 2014. I had a suspicion in the Gujarat Assembly elections already. This ability to win sweeping victories. The Congress Party didn’t get a single seat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, or Gujarat, which surprised me. Whenever we spoke, people said, ‘Where’s the proof?’ Then, something happened in Maharashtra,” Gandhi said.

“In the Lok Sabha, we won the election. And then four months later, we didn’t just lose, we were obliterated. Three formidable parties suddenly just evaporated. We started to look seriously for electoral malpractice. We found that in Maharashtra, one crore new voters appeared between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. The bulk of those votes go to the BJP… Now, I say with absolutely no doubt that we have proof,” the Congress leader said.

Mumbai: Nearly 14 hours after two young men were swept into the sea at Silver Beach near Godrej Gate in Juhu, the body of one of the missing individuals was recovered late Friday night. The deceased has been identified as 20-year-old Vighnesh Murgesh Devendram.

Details On The Drowning Incident

The incident was first reported around 10:24 am on Friday by the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), which stated that the duo had ventured approximately 200 metres into the water when they were caught in a powerful current around 8:30 am. While one of them, 22-year-old Rajkumar Govind Subba, was pulled to safety by on-duty lifeguard Jitendra Tandel from Drishti Marine before the fire brigade arrived, Vighnesh went missing in the waters.

A large-scale search operation was immediately launched by the fire brigade in coordination with local police, civic staff and fishermen. Despite continuous efforts throughout the day, there was no sign of the youth until later that night.

According to officials, both youths were residents of a slum in Vile Parle. Preliminary reports indicate that they may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The Mumbai Fire Brigade had to halt the search operation at 1:36 pm due to high tide conditions. Authorities had earlier appealed to the public to alert the nearest police station, the BMC, or the fire brigade in case they spotted the missing individual.

Body Of Missing Youth Found At Night

According to the updated report received on Saturday morning, local fishermen and the Juhu Police were able to recover Vighnesh’s body at approximately 10:30 pm on Friday. He was rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was declared, brought dead. The confirmation came from Dr. Niranjan, Assistant Medical Officer at the hospital. Rajkumar Subba, the survivor in the incident, was rescued in time and is believed to be recovering.

US-based electric car maker Tesla will open its first charging station in India next week in Mumbai, the company announced on Friday.

The station will have four V4 Supercharging stalls for DC charging and four destination charging stalls for AC charging.

The Superchargers will offer a peak charging speed of 250 kW, priced at Rs 24 per kWh, while the destination chargers will provide 11 kW at Rs 14 per kWh.

“This will be the first of the eight Supercharging sites that were announced during the launch in Mumbai, with more planned across the country, to provide the optimal cross-country experience,” the company added.

Tesla said this will be the first of eight Supercharging sites announced during its Mumbai launch last month, with more planned across the country to make cross-country travel convenient for Tesla owners.

The company had entered the Indian market in July with the launch of its Model Y, priced from Rs 59.89 lakh, along with its first experience centre at Maker Maxity Commercial Complex in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

The BKC facility offers both fast-charging and regular options, catering to the needs of different EV users.

According to Tesla, the Model Y can gain up to 267 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes using its Superchargers — enough for five round trips between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the Gateway of India.

“Model Y can add up to 267 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes with Tesla Superchargers, enough for 5 return trips between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and Gateway of India,” the US-based carmaker said.

As part of its customer offer, Tesla will also provide a free wall connector with every new car purchase, which will be installed at the buyer’s residence.