New Delhi — Union Home Minister Amit Shah's bold prediction of a massive NDA victory in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections triggered an immediate, scathing rebuttal from the Congress leadership on Tuesday. The Opposition did not just disagree with the forecast; they dismantled the credibility of the predictor, labeling Shah's remarks as desperate posturing by a regime in decline.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal led the charge, accusing the Home Minister of celebrating electoral wins while actively undermining the electoral system itself. "Heights of irony that Vote Chor Amit Shah is celebrating an election victory - when the whole problem is how they are destroying our electoral system," Venugopal posted on X. He pointed to Shah's refusal to take questions from independent media, suggesting the Home Minister is "so nervous he only spoke to Godi media" and should be worried about surviving in office until 2029 rather than predicting opponents' defeat.
The attack grew sharper with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who coined the phrase "Bombast, Bluff and Bluster" to describe Shah's rhetoric. Ramesh alleged that the "co-architect of Vote Chori" has already begun the rigging process for the 2029 polls, a claim he dismissed as a pipe dream. "The people know that the constitutional right to vote is their biggest power to hold authoritarian governments built on lies - like this one - accountable and send them packing," Ramesh wrote, adding that the government is rattled by growing public sentiment, particularly among youth taking to the streets.
The debate shifted to hard data when Congress MP Imran Masood challenged the government's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Masood cited the deletion of 13 crore names from voter lists, arguing that the government uses the "infiltrator" narrative to mislead the public. "Just because the names of 13 crore people have been deleted from the voter lists does not mean that there are 13 crore infiltrators," Masood told ANI. He demanded the government publish a detailed list showing how many individuals were identified and how many were actually deported, accusing the state of reducing the Election Commission to a "mere puppet."
Masood escalated the challenge by demanding the government conduct the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections using ballot papers instead of EVMs. "Go ahead and conduct the elections in these five states using ballot papers," he said, a move intended to expose alleged irregularities in the electronic voting process.
Shah, in his original remarks, directly targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asserting that voters have "fully understood" the Opposition's strategy of shielding infiltrators under the guise of the SIR. "I also wish to tell Rahul Gandhi and his associates to brace themselves for a crushing defeat in 2029," Shah said, predicting the NDA will secure a massive majority while the Congress faces its fourth consecutive loss. The next major flashpoint remains the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where the demand for ballot papers could force a structural confrontation between the ruling party and the Opposition.