NEW DELHI: Congress leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha
Rahul Gandhi has widened his charge of “vote theft”, alleging that the Haryana assembly polls were not an isolated case. Addressing reporters in Panarpani, Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, he claimed that the
BJP used the same method in earlier elections as well, including in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
“After seeing the data that I also presented in a press conference about how vote theft took place in Haryana, I think the BJP has done the same thing in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. We have all the evidence and will release it one by one – what we have shown so far is only a little,” he said.
Rahul said there was an effort to institutionalise “vote chori”, adding, “There is an attack on democracy and the Constitution of B. R. Ambedkar. PM Modi, Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar are directly involved in it.” He claimed the Congress will release further evidence in phases and asked the youth to “resist this wholesale theft of democracy”.
What Rahul Gandhi alleged earlier in his press conference
On 5 November, Rahul Gandhi held a press conference where he presented what he called “The H-files”, accusing the BJP of “stealing” the 2024 Haryana assembly election. He cited electoral roll data to claim that 25 lakh entries were fake and the Election Commission had “colluded” with the BJP to ensure its victory. He alleged a “centralised plan” and pointed to a ‘Brazilian model’ whose photograph was used 22 times in 10 booths under names such as “Seema, Sweety and Saraswati”.
Also read: Brazilian 'model' reacts after Rahul Gandhi’s Haryana voter-fraud allegationThe congress leader said, “One in eight voters in Haryana are fake and despite that the Congress loses by 22,779 votes which was the difference in eight seats.” Claiming 1,24,177 fake pictures were used, he argued, “You can understand that there was no election in Haryana. There was a theft (of elections) in Haryana and it is very clear who is responsible for the theft.”
According to him, “Sarkar Chori” had destroyed democracy and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was the latest weapon. Rahul alleged that the Election Commission and the BJP ran “Operation Sarkar Chori” to convert a Congress victory into a loss. “Why is the Election Commission not removing duplicates? It is because if it does so, it would result in fair elections and it doesn’t want fair elections,” he said. He also accused the CEC of lying when he said “house number zero” was used for people without formal addresses.
He told reporters: “Every single opposition party understands this, they can see this...If the voter list is a lie, there is no democracy. My role as an opposition leader is to let you know the real world that you are living in.” Asked about approaching the courts, Rahul Gandhi responded, “The Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, is watching… it is not hidden.”
How the BJP reacted
The BJP dismissed Rahul's claims as “false and baseless”, accusing him of defaming India’s institutions to divert attention from political setbacks. Union minister Kiren Rijiju said he was “raising questions on the Election Commission to hide his failures and defame the country’s democracy.” He accused Gandhi of trying to “instigate the GenZ”, insisting such efforts would not succeed. “The young generation is firmly standing by Modiji,” he said.
Rijiju also questioned why the Lok Sabha LoP had not filed complaints before the Election Commission or courts, arguing, “But they do not have to file any appeal before the EC or approach the court. He (Gandhi) will just call a press conference, give a presentation made by someone else and run away," he said and asked, "Will democracy function in such a manner?"
Defence minister Rajnath Singh too criticised Rahul Gandhi during a rally in Bihar, saying, “If Rahul Gandhi thinks that the votes of the people of Bihar are being stolen, why does he not file a written complaint with the Election Commission?” Singh accused Gandhi of misleading voters and claimed the Congress was resorting to “lies” for political success.
What the EC said
Election Commission (EC) officials told news agency PTI that Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of voter manipulation were “unfounded.” They said no appeals were filed against the electoral rolls and no instances of multiple voting were reported. Responding to Gandhi’s claim that 25 lakh entries were “fake” and that the polls were “stolen,” officials questioned why Congress booth-level agents failed to raise objections during the revision process.
(With inputs from agencies)
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