Is Rahul Gandhi's "Vote Chori" Claim Justified

 

Is Rahul Gandhi's "Vote Chori" Claim Justified

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a prominent Congress leader, has been vocally alleging "vote chori" (vote theft) in recent Indian elections, particularly focusing on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka and Maharashtra, as well as the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of its assembly elections. His claims, launched prominently in August 2025, suggest systematic manipulation of voter lists by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to favor the ruling party. This has sparked a major political controversy, with Gandhi initiating campaigns like the "Vote Chori" website and "Voter Adhikar Yatra" to rally public support.

To assess whether his claims are justified, I'll break it down based on available evidence from official responses, media reports, and analyses. Justification here means evaluating if the allegations are backed by verifiable proof of widespread, intentional fraud that altered election outcomes, or if they appear more as political rhetoric amid acknowledged but routine electoral irregularities.

Key Elements of Rahul Gandhi's Claims

Gandhi's accusations are centered on irregularities in electoral rolls, which he argues undermine the principle of "one person, one vote." Specific examples include:

• Karnataka's Mahadevapura Assembly Segment (Bangalore Central Lok Sabha Seat): In August 2025, Gandhi presented data from a six-month Congress investigation claiming over 1 lakh (100,250) fraudulent votes. Breakdown:
  • 11,965 duplicate voters.
  • 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses.
  • 10,452 "bulk voters" (multiple voters at single addresses).
  • 4,132 voters with invalid photos.
  • 33,692 cases of misuse of Form 6 (for new voters). He alleged these irregularities helped the BJP's P.C. Mohan win the seat by about 33,000 votes against Congress's Mansoor Khan. Gandhi extended this to 48 Lok Sabha seats where Congress lost narrowly, claiming a similar "module" of fraud across 70-100 seats.
• Maharashtra Assembly Elections (2024): Similar spikes in voter turnout and additions to rolls allegedly favored the BJP, with Gandhi calling it "match-fixing."
• Bihar's SIR Process (2025): Gandhi claims the ECI's revision exercise is "institutionalized chori" to delete names of poor, Dalit, and opposition-leaning voters (e.g., over 65 lakh deletions in the draft roll). He cited cases like a 124-year-old voter (Minta Devi) still listed and videos of voters like Subodh Kumar and Ranju Devi whose names were allegedly removed. He links this to broader fraud, promising a "hydrogen bomb" of revelations soon.
• Broader Allegations: Accusations of ECI bias, including refusal to release digital voter rolls for auditing, destroying CCTV footage after 45 days, and adding fake voters while deleting genuine ones. Gandhi ties this to BJP leaders like Amit Shah's 2017 claim of 50 years in power, suggesting it's only possible through theft.

Gandhi has refused to submit a sworn affidavit to the ECI, calling it "their data" from public sources and accusing the body of deflection. His campaign includes a website (rahulgandhi.in/awaazbharatki/votechori) for public registration against "vote chori," emphasizing transparency like digital rolls.

Evidence Supporting the Claims

• Irregularities Exist: Electoral rolls in India do have documented issues, such as duplicates, invalid entries, and outdated data, which the ECI acknowledges require periodic revisions like SIR. Gandhi's team used publicly available ECI data (e.g., from January 2024 rolls shared with parties, including Congress) to identify these. For instance:
  • In Karnataka, the ECI suspended four officials in West Bengal (a separate case) for roll manipulation, showing such issues occur.
  • Bihar's draft SIR roll deleted about 65 lakh names, prompting Supreme Court scrutiny (the court sought ECI's response on providing individual deletion reasons).
  • Media reports (e.g., Indian Express) note that while rolls are revised transparently, the burden on voters during SIR can be burdensome, especially for marginalized groups.
• Public and Opposition Resonance: The "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar drew large crowds, with supporters like Sachin Pilot calling it a "revolution." Allies like RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut have joined protests. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor backed it, urging ECI action on "democracy's preciousness."
• Historical Context: Past ECI controversies (e.g., 2019 EVM tampering claims, 2018 Madhya Pradesh petition) fuel distrust. Gandhi argues public sentiment (e.g., anti-BJP waves) didn't match results, implying fraud.

However, these point to systemic flaws rather than proven BJP-ECI collusion.

Counterarguments and ECI's Response

The ECI and BJP have strongly rebutted the claims, calling them unsubstantiated, defamatory, and politically motivated:

• Demand for Proof: The ECI (via letters from Karnataka and Maharashtra CEOs in August 2025) asked Gandhi to submit a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, with specific names of fraudulent voters. It warned that false claims are punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023. Gandhi's refusal is seen as evidence of weakness.
• Transparency Assurances: The ECI states rolls are prepared transparently, with drafts published for objections (Congress had access but didn't raise issues timely). "One person, one vote" has been law since 1952. It called "vote chori" a "dirty word" assaulting poll staff and voters, urging affidavits for double-voting proof rather than broad accusations.
• Fact-Checks on Specific Cases:
  • Bihar Examples: For Subodh Kumar (a RJD agent), his name wasn't in rolls pre-SIR, so no "deletion" occurred; he can reapply via Form-6. Ranju Devi confirmed her family's names were intact and accused political workers of misleading her.
  • No Outcome-Altering Fraud: In Karnataka, even if irregularities exist, no proof links them directly to BJP votes or ECI bias. BJP's Amit Malviya demanded Gandhi name ineligible voters under oath.
• Hypocrisy Allegations: BJP highlighted Congress leader Pawan Khera's two active EPIC numbers (Jangpura and New Delhi), questioning why he didn't update his records if duplicates are such a big issue. This has fueled social media backlash, portraying Congress as hypocritical.
• Internal Congress Dissent: Karnataka minister K.N. Rajanna (a Siddaramaiah ally) criticized the claims, noting irregularities occurred under Congress rule and the party ignored them then, calling it "insulting" that it happened "under our nose."
• Legal Recourse: ECI emphasized challenging results via High Court election petitions (window closed for 2024 polls). It accused Congress of misleading the Supreme Court in past cases (e.g., 2018 Kamal Nath petition).

Media analyses (e.g., Indian Express, NDTV) describe the claims as "specious" or "conspiracy theory," noting dots connect only with "political suspension of disbelief." While irregularities need investigation, there's no hard evidence of systematic theft benefiting BJP across seats.

Is the Claim Justified? A Balanced Assessment

• Partially Valid Concerns, But Not Fully Justified as "Theft": Gandhi's highlighting of voter list flaws is legitimate—electoral integrity is crucial, and issues like duplicates (estimated 1-2% nationally) and SIR burdens do erode trust, especially among vulnerable groups. His push for digital rolls and audits could improve transparency. However, labeling it "vote chori" implies deliberate, widespread fraud by ECI-BJP to steal elections, which lacks concrete proof (e.g., no affidavits, no court-validated links to vote counts). It's more akin to routine administrative errors amplified for political gain, especially post-Congress defeats.
• Political Motivations: The timing—pre-Bihar polls—suggests it's a strategy to consolidate opposition votes and create a narrative of "stolen mandate." BJP dismisses it as "sour grapes," and the ECI's responses position it as an attack on institutions. Public discourse on X (formerly Twitter) shows polarization: supporters see it as fighting for democracy, critics as hypocrisy (e.g., Khera's dual IDs).
• Potential Impact: If unaddressed, it could deepen distrust in elections (already low per surveys). The Supreme Court's involvement in Bihar deletions is positive, but Gandhi's refusal to formalize claims weakens his case. For true justification, independent audits or court rulings would be needed.

In summary, while electoral irregularities warrant scrutiny and reform, Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" claim overstates the evidence into unsubstantiated conspiracy, making it politically charged but not fully justified at this stage. The ECI should proactively investigate and release more data for transparency to resolve the debate.

Source GROK