Alleges Vote Theft in Key State Elections

"We will show you with proof how Haryana, Maharashtra, and the Lok Sabha elections were stolen. Gandhi vowed to unveil irrefutable evidence soon, describing it as a "hydrogen bomb" that would expose the truth and leave Prime Minister Narendra Modi unable to "show his face" to the nation.

Rahul Gandhi Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha

In a fiery escalation of his ongoing campaign against alleged electoral malpractices, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claimed on Thursday that elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka were "stolen" through systematic voter fraud orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in collusion with the Election Commission of India (ECI). Gandhi vowed to unveil irrefutable evidence soon, describing it as a "hydrogen bomb" that would expose the truth and leave Prime Minister Narendra Modi unable to "show his face" to the nation.

Speaking to reporters amid heightened political tensions ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Gandhi reiterated his accusations, stating, "The main issue is that elections have been stolen in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Karnataka. We have given evidence in black and white for Bangalore Central. In the coming days, we will give you another dynamic, explosive evidence." He emphasized that governments were being formed "through stolen votes," promising, "This is the truth that governments are being formed by stealing... We guarantee that we will give you proof (of it)." The remarks, made during a press interaction, build on Gandhi's earlier "atom bomb" exposé in August, where he alleged massive irregularities in Karnataka's Mahadevapura Assembly segment.

Gandhi's allegations stem from a detailed investigation by Congress teams, which he claims took six months to compile. In Maharashtra, he pointed to a suspicious surge of nearly one crore new voters added to the electoral rolls between the 2024 Lok Sabha polls—where the Congress-led INDIA alliance secured a majority—and the subsequent Assembly elections, which the BJP won decisively. "Our alliance partners in Maharashtra, including Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena UBT), know how votes were stolen in the last Assembly election," Gandhi said. He accused the ECI of ignoring repeated requests for voter lists and CCTV footage from polling stations, alleging that all added votes disproportionately benefited the BJP.

Similar claims were leveled against Haryana, where Gandhi asserted that the 2024 Assembly elections saw "vote chori" on a scale that overturned anti-incumbency trends. "We will show you with proof how Haryana, Maharashtra, and the Lok Sabha elections were stolen," he declared, linking it to broader manipulations involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the ECI. In Karnataka, the focus was on the Mahadevapura segment under the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency, where Gandhi's team allegedly uncovered over 1 lakh fake or duplicate voters out of 6.5 lakh total. Examples included voters like Gurkeerat Singh Dang registered across four booths with multiple EPIC numbers, and Aditya Srivastava listed in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Bengaluru (Karnataka). "Out of 6.5 lakh votes in Mahadevapura, there was 'vote chori' of over 1 lakh votes," Gandhi stated during an August 7 press conference.

These revelations, Gandhi argued, explain discrepancies between pre-poll surveys predicting INDIA bloc victories and actual results. He extended the accusations to other states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, calling the "Gujarat model" not an economic success but a "model of stealing votes." The Congress leader framed this as an assault on democracy, warning that similar tactics were being prepared for Bihar through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which he described as a tool to disenfranchise weaker sections.

Gandhi's "Voter Adhikar Yatra," launched on August 17 from Sasaram in Bihar's Rohtas district and concluding in Patna on September 1, amplified these charges. Accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, 

and other INDIA bloc allies like Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut and CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, the yatra drew thousands. Kharge hailed it as the fourth such initiative by Gandhi to protect voting rights, urging people to "bust the BJP's vote-chori plot." Gandhi concluded the event at Ambedkar Park, paying tributes to B.R. Ambedkar and vowing, "We pledge—not even a single vote will be stolen in Bihar. We will protect democracy and the Constitution with all our might."

The BJP dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s voter data theft claims as “baseless” and “fabricated.” Ravi Shankar Prasad mocked him, saying even his “atom bomb” in Karnataka fizzled. Devendra Fadnavis joked that Gandhi’s “brain chip” was stolen. BJP leaders accused him of hypocrisy, citing Congress’s own record and court rulings upholding EVM integrity. They challenged Gandhi to submit proof under oath. The Election Commission of India (ECI) responded cautiously; Karnataka’s CEO urged a sworn statement under electoral rules, while Maharashtra and UP officials denied duplicate voter claims after checks. Critics noted Gandhi’s data may ironically justify cleanup efforts like SIR, which Congress allies oppose. The ECI awaits more details.