The Election Commission of India has strongly refuted Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” allegations, calling them an attack on voters and election staff. The EC stressed “One Person, One Vote” has existed since 1951 and demanded proof.
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday strongly refuted allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft) made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, calling the claims an attack on Indian voters and election staff. The poll body criticised not only Gandhi but also other opposition parties for repeatedly using the term, describing it as a “dirty phrase” aimed at creating a false narrative that undermines public trust in the democratic process. The ECI stressed that India has followed the “One Person, One Vote” principle since its first general elections in 1951-52 and maintained that the integrity of electoral rolls and voter records is rigorously monitored. Officials emphasised that anyone alleging multiple votes by a single person must provide concrete proof in the form of a sworn affidavit, rather than broadly labelling voters as “chor” without evidence.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges Widespread Vote Theft In Karnataka
On August 7, Rahul Gandhi held a press conference in New Delhi alleging large-scale vote theft in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka. He claimed over 1 lakh votes were stolen through duplicate entries, fake addresses, and bulk registrations at single addresses.
Gandhi said, “Our internal polling predicted 16 Lok Sabha seats for Congress in Karnataka; we won nine. In Mahadevapura alone, we found 100,250 votes stolen in five different ways,” presenting what he called Congress’s internal analysis of voting patterns.
Election Commission Seeks Formal Evidence
In response, the ECI asked Rahul Gandhi to submit a formal declaration supporting his “vote chori” claims, along with the names of electors allegedly wrongfully included in the voter list, in order to initiate necessary proceedings.
Rahul Gandhi Stands By Data, Calls It EC’s Own
Reacting to the Commission’s demand, Rahul Gandhi said, “I’m saying it publicly to everybody. Take it as an oath. This is their data, and we are displaying their data. This is not our data—it is Election Commission data.” He added that the EC has not denied the information, asserting that the voter list details he presented are accurate and pointing to alleged manipulation across the country.
