New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday sharply criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it an “institutionalised chori” (theft) and alleging that the Election Commission (EC) is “openly colluding” with the BJP to disenfranchise poor voters.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Gandhi claimed the SIR exercise was launched in Bihar because “they know we have caught their chori.” He accused the BJP and EC of working together to manipulate the electoral process, asserting that this “theft” was aimed at stealing elections.
A day after holding a press conference about what he termed a “vote chori” model allegedly used across various constituencies, Gandhi released the video to elaborate on an investigation conducted by the Congress. The video focuses on the Mahadevapura assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to Gandhi, the Congress’s data analysis revealed that over 1,00,250 votes were “stolen” in Mahadevapura through five types of voter roll manipulation:
- Duplicate voters – 11,965 instances
- Fake/invalid addresses – 40,009 voters
- Bulk/single address registrations – 10,452 voters
- Invalid photos – 4,132 voters
- Misuse of Form 6 (for new voters) – 33,692 cases
He illustrated these findings with on-screen examples. For instance, under duplicate voters, he cited one Gurkeerat Singh Dang, who was allegedly listed at four different polling booths. He also pointed to voters being registered in multiple states.
Under fake address entries, Gandhi showed several voters registered under “House Number 0”. He also cited “House Number 35” as having 80 voters registered under it, indicating bulk entries. Additionally, he mentioned the case of 70-year-old Shakun Rani, who was registered twice within two months.
“These are not isolated incidents,” Gandhi said. “I am confident that this has happened in over 100 seats across the country. Had the BJP won 10–15 seats fewer, Modi would not be Prime Minister today—there would be an INDIA bloc government.”
Calling the alleged manipulation “a crime against the Constitution,” Gandhi said, “The EC and BJP are clearly working together to rig elections. The evidence is in black and white.”
He added that the Congress’s probe focused only on new voter additions and not deletions, which he suspects could be even more substantial. “We have uncovered just one method. There are likely many more. What the EC is doing is not just wrong—it is betrayal. It is treason,” he said, issuing a stern warning: “Time will come, and those responsible will be held accountable. Voter theft must be exposed.”
Reflecting on his political journey, Gandhi recalled his early campaigning days in the 1980s with sister Priyanka, saying he understands election mechanics deeply—from polling booths to Form 17 protocols. “For the past few elections, we’ve sensed something was off. Results were contradicting the public mood.”
He recalled that in Uttarakhand, despite large turnouts at Congress rallies, their candidates got very few votes in polling booths. Similar anomalies appeared in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. He noted that although Congress had formed the government in Madhya Pradesh in 2018, it was “stolen later.” During his Bharat Jodo Yatra, he observed strong anti-incumbency sentiments, yet in 2023, the Congress secured only 65 seats—something he called “impossible.”
Citing Maharashtra, he said the Congress first gathered concrete proof when new voters appeared “like magic” between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls—and most of them voted for the BJP.
When Congress sought the voter list and video footage from the EC, Gandhi said the request was denied. “This raised serious questions. Is the EC actively helping the BJP? Are they complicit in election theft?” he asked. A team was then tasked with uncovering the truth.
He alleged that the EC avoids sharing digital voter data, forcing parties to examine physical records. “If digital data were shared, the truth would come out,” he claimed.
Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi wrote: “Vote theft is not just an election scam—it is a massive fraud against the Constitution and democracy. The criminals behind it must know—times will change, and justice will be served.”
Meanwhile, following his allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka has asked Gandhi to submit a list of electors he believes were wrongly added or deleted from the state’s voter list, along with a signed declaration, so that necessary proceedings can be initiated.
