Rahul Gandhi alleges 'vote chori', says BJP-ECI form nexus in electoral rolls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, alleged large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls across constituencies since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a press conference held in New Delhi, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the BJP to commit "vote theft" to secure power at the Centre.

Presenting what he termed as “evidence” of fake voters and forged addresses, Gandhi said the Congress had identified irregularities in multiple constituencies. He claimed the BJP won 25 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 with margins of under 33,000 votes—exactly the number required to retain power, according to him. He alleged these results were influenced by voter roll tampering.

Gandhi pointed out that suspicions began during the 2023 Chhattisgarh elections and were confirmed during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, where Congress and its allies lost to the BJP. He said an internal Congress probe found over one lakh fake or invalid addresses in Mahadevapura constituency in Karnataka alone, where the BJP won in 2023.

Calling it a serious threat to Indian democracy, Gandhi stated, “I am a politician, and I am speaking to the people. Take this as an oath.” He also noted that the Election Commission had not yet refuted his claims, saying, “The ECI hasn’t said that Rahul Gandhi is wrong.”