Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) (Rajeev Sharma): Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) of engineering large-scale “vote theft” across several states, claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used to conceal and formalize such irregularities.
Gandhi made the remarks while addressing journalists in Pachmarhi, where he was attending a district-level training camp for Congress leaders.
Describing the revision exercise as a “mechanism to hide electoral fraud,” Gandhi alleged, “The SIR is not about cleaning voter rolls — it’s about institutionalising vote theft. What happened in Haryana has also happened in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.”
The Election Commission began the Special Intensive Revision of electoral lists on November 4 in nine states and three Union Territories to verify voter data ahead of upcoming elections. Gandhi, however, contended that the initiative lacked transparency and was being used to mask discrepancies.
Citing his earlier claims regarding Haryana, Gandhi said he had reviewed data suggesting that around 25 lakh votes were removed or tampered with in that state. “One out of every eight votes was stolen,” he alleged, adding that the same “pattern” was evident in other states governed by the BJP.
The Congress leader said his party had gathered “comprehensive and detailed” information to substantiate the claims and would release it in stages. “What we have shown so far is just a fraction of what we know,” he remarked.
Gandhi also accused the central government and the EC of jointly undermining democratic values. “Dr. Ambedkar’s Constitution is being attacked. Democracy is being hollowed out. This is being done directly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Chief Election Commissioner in partnership,” he charged.
The comments come amid heightened political tensions over the integrity of voter lists and election procedures. While opposition parties have repeatedly questioned the EC’s impartiality, the ruling BJP has dismissed such claims as “fabricated” and “politically motivated.”
Gandhi insisted that his concern went beyond partisan politics, framing the issue as a national crisis. “This is not just a Congress issue. When votes are stolen, it’s the people of India who lose their voice. Bharat Mata herself is being harmed,” he said.
The Election Commission has not yet issued a formal response to Gandhi’s latest allegations.
