Rahul Gandhi Alleges ‘Vote Theft’ Ahead of Bihar Elections, Cites Haryana Model

Digital Desk

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the BJP of orchestrating large-scale voter manipulation ahead of the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections, claiming that lakhs of genuine voters had been removed from the electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference in Patna that lasted over an hour, Rahul presented five voters from Bihar who said their names were missing from the voter list. “In Haryana, 3.5 lakh names were deleted and 25 lakh votes were allegedly stolen during the 2024 elections. The same model is now being applied in Bihar,” he alleged.

Rahul also referred to a “Brazilian model” voter, claiming that one person had cast ballots 22 times across 10 polling booths in Haryana. He played a video of Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini referencing “a system” operating behind the scenes. Rahul further shared a photograph of a Brazilian girl reportedly listed on the Haryana voter roll under multiple names, including Sweety, Seema, and Saraswati.

This marks Rahul Gandhi’s third public accusation regarding electoral irregularities. On September 18, he claimed the Chief Election Commissioner was protecting vote manipulators, citing instances from Karnataka’s Aland assembly seat. Earlier, on August 7, he alleged the inclusion of illegal names in voter lists in Maharashtra and other states, presenting a detailed 22-page analysis of what he described as a nationwide “vote theft model.”

The Election Commission (EC) has repeatedly dismissed these allegations. In August, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that the data cited by Rahul Gandhi did not belong to the EC and emphasized that no voter’s name can be deleted online without due process. Following Rahul’s September allegations, the EC clarified that no names had been wrongly removed in the Aland assembly constituency.

Rahul Gandhi’s claims add to the ongoing debate over electoral transparency in India. As Bihar prepares for the first phase of polling on November 5, the EC has maintained that the voter list is secure and adheres to legal safeguards. Congress officials assert that the allegations underscore the need for stricter oversight, while the EC continues to monitor and verify electoral data to ensure free and fair elections.