Pachmarhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP and the Election Commission (EC), alleging large-scale “vote theft” in several states and claiming that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is meant to institutionalize the practice.
Speaking to reporters in Pachmarhi, where he attended a training workshop for district Congress presidents, Gandhi claimed that irregularities in voter lists seen in Haryana have also occurred in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.
“Vote theft is real. The SIR exercise is not about transparency — it’s about covering it up and legitimizing it,” Gandhi alleged.
The EC launched the SIR process on November 4 across nine states and three Union Territories, aiming to verify and update voter rolls ahead of upcoming elections. However, Gandhi claimed that the process was being misused to manipulate electoral data.
Referring to what he called “evidence” from Haryana, Gandhi said, “A few days ago, I presented data showing that around 25 lakh votes were stolen in Haryana — roughly one out of every eight votes. After analyzing that data, I am convinced the same thing has been done in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.”
He further accused the BJP, along with senior government officials, of working “in partnership” to undermine democratic institutions. “Democracy is under attack. Ambedkar’s Constitution is being attacked. Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Chief Election Commissioner are all involved in this system,” Gandhi alleged.
The Congress leader said his party has collected “detailed information” and plans to release it in phases. “We’ve only shared a small part so far. There’s a lot more that will come out,” he told reporters.
Gandhi’s remarks come amid growing political friction over electoral transparency, with the opposition questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission ahead of key state and national polls.
While the Election Commission has not yet responded to Gandhi’s latest claims, BJP leaders have previously dismissed similar allegations as “baseless” and an attempt to discredit democratic institutions.
Gandhi, however, insisted that the issue goes beyond politics. “This isn’t about one party or one election,” he said. “It’s about protecting the voice of every Indian voter — because when votes are stolen, the soul of Bharat Mata is wounded.”
