New Delhi, Sep 10 : Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Opposition parties for alleging electoral malpractice, accusing them of 'running down India's robust democratic system' and spreading baseless 'hysteria' over voter lists.

In a strongly worded post on X, Puri said certain politicians driven by 'an inexplicable desire to malign democracy' have fallen into a mindset where they 'eschew logic, utter falsehoods, and cast doubts about India's electoral system.'

Referring to Opposition demands for paper ballots, Puri noted their inconsistency.

'One day they are proponents of paper ballot, on another, when they lose an election based on paper ballot, they are not able to explain how despite a paper ballot nearly 35 of their MPs voted for the NDA candidate in the vice-president election,' he said.

He accused them of indulging in 'shoot-and-scoot politics' by levelling allegations without evidence.

'Their allegations are usually sans facts and are based on false data; and always come crumbling down at the first scrutiny,' Puri added.

The minister alleged that the Opposition routinely blames electoral losses on 'imaginary reasons' while refusing to file formal complaints with the Election Commission of India (ECI) or submit proof.

'Every point they have raised about an imaginary 'vote chori' has turned out to be a figment of their imagination,' he said.

Citing examples, Puri said Opposition claims on voter additions in Maharashtra were misleading.

'More voters were added in 2004 and 2009 when the UPA won than in 2024,' he asserted. He also flagged alleged irregularities in constituencies held by senior Opposition leaders, including '93,499 doubtful voters in Wayanad, 2,00,089 in Rae Bareli, and 71,977 with fake addresses.'

According to Puri, the 'real motive' behind these claims was to pursue 'vote bank politics.'

He alleged the Opposition seeks to 'empower infiltrators, steal the mandate of real Indians, and compromise national security.'

/IANS