Rahul Gandhi Renews ‘Vote Theft’ Allegations: EC Denies Wrongdoing

September 19, 2025

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations of Voter Manipulation

On September 12, 2025, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of shielding those involved in attempts to manipulate voter rolls in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Gandhi claimed that in December 2022, attempts were made to delete the names of 6,018 voters in Karnataka’s Aland constituency.
In 2024, around 6,850 “fake voters” were allegedly added in Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency.
He alleged that these manipulations targeted Congress strongholds, especially voters from Scheduled Castes, minorities, and tribal communities.

At a press briefing, Gandhi stated that the Karnataka CID wrote 18 times to the ECI requesting data such as OTP trails and destination ports used in these alleged deletions. According to him, the Commission refused to share this data.

EC’s Response: “Allegations Baseless”

The Election Commission strongly rejected Gandhi’s charges, clarifying that:

Voter names cannot be deleted online by any individual.
No deletion can occur without a formal verification process and providing the voter an opportunity to be heard.
In Aland, although attempts were made, they were unsuccessful, and the Commission itself lodged an FIR.

The Commission highlighted that despite the alleged irregularities, Congress’s B.R. Patil won the Aland seat in the May 2023 Karnataka Assembly election by a margin of 10,348 votes over BJP’s Subhash Guttedar.

Congress’s Broader Campaign on “Vote Theft”

This press briefing was part of a larger Congress campaign against what it calls “systematic vote theft.”

In an earlier August 2025 presentation, Gandhi alleged irregularities in Mahadevapura (Bengaluru), claiming that 100,250 votes were “stolen” to help the BJP win the seat.
He presented data suggesting duplicate voters, invalid addresses, bulk entries, and fake photos in the rolls.
Congress has since coined the slogan “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chod” (Vote thief; Quit your post).

Gandhi also teased a bigger exposé — which he termed a “hydrogen bomb” — to be revealed in coming months.

BJP’s Counterattack

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed Gandhi’s charges, with leaders like Anurag Thakur calling them “false, baseless, and politically motivated.”

Thakur said Gandhi was trying to “delegitimise democracy” and accused him of “chaos politics.”
He pointed out that Congress won Aland despite the alleged deletions, asking rhetorically: “Did Congress win that seat through vote chori?”

How Voter Deletion Works in India

Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, voter deletions follow a strict process:

Applications for deletion are made using Form 7, citing reasons like death, migration, duplication, or legal disqualification.
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) verifies each case, with support from Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The concerned voter is given a notice and hearing opportunity.
Verification includes field visits and document checks.
Only after this process can a name be removed.

The Election Commission also uses ERONet and the Electoral Roll Management System (ERMS) to track online submissions and prevent unauthorized bulk deletions.

Past Controversies on Electoral Rolls

Allegations of wrongful voter deletions are not new:

In Telangana (2018), lakhs of names were reportedly missing from rolls.
In Delhi (2019), opposition parties claimed that voters from particular communities were disproportionately removed.
Courts have repeatedly reminded the ECI that arbitrary disenfranchisement is unconstitutional.

Karnataka CEO’s Clarification

The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka later confirmed that in December 2022, 6,018 deletion applications were received via apps like NVSP, VHA, and GARUDA.

After verification, only 24 were genuine, while 5,994 were rejected.
An FIR was filed in February 2023 to investigate the fraudulent applications.
All available information was handed over to the Kalaburagi Police for further investigation.

Conclusion: Spotlight Back on Electoral Roll Integrity

Rahul Gandhi’s allegations have reignited the debate on electoral transparency in India. While the EC insists that safeguards prevent online voter manipulation, Congress maintains that large-scale attempts are being made to disenfranchise opposition voters.

This controversy highlights the urgent need for:

Greater transparency in electoral roll management.
Timely sharing of data between the EC and investigating agencies.
Stronger technological safeguards against bulk fraudulent applications.

As elections remain the cornerstone of democracy, ensuring the integrity of the voter list is critical to maintaining public trust in the electoral process.