The INDIA bloc on Friday (October 9) submitted a four-point memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging large-scale electoral manipulation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seeking sweeping changes to the election system. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi later claimed that Murmu “did not deny” the allegations during the meeting. Instead of questioning or arguing with the Opposition leaders, she asked them to submit proof of their claims, he said. The meeting comes amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.<h2>What are the INDIA bloc’s four demands?</h2>The memorandum accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of undermining India’s electoral system. It alleges that electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter lists were manipulated in several elections.The bloc’s four demands are:<ul><li>Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation: Remove the Chief Election Commissioner and repeal the 2023 law granting immunity to election commissioners for acts performed in their official capacity.</li><li>Restore deleted voter names: Suspend the SIR process and reinstate 13.30 crore voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls.</li><li>Return to paper ballots: Replace EVM-based voting with paper ballots for all elections.</li><li>Repeal disputed elections: Annul Assembly elections held over the past two years where the bloc claims conclusive evidence of “vote chori” exists.</li></ul><h2>Why has the bloc approached Murmu?</h2>The leaders argued that Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides for adult suffrage, underpins representative democracy. They accused the Election Commission of failing to safeguard that right and alleged irregularities in elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal.The memorandum said the President’s office was a final recourse when other avenues had failed. The allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission remain claims made by the Opposition. &nbsp;

The INDIA bloc urged President Murmu to act on four demands over alleged ‘vote chori’. Rahul Gandhi said she did not deny the claims but asked Opposition leaders to submit proof.

The INDIA bloc on Friday (October 9) submitted a four-point memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging large-scale electoral manipulation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seeking sweeping changes to the election system. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi later claimed that Murmu “did not deny” the allegations during the meeting. Instead of questioning or arguing with the Opposition leaders, she asked them to submit proof of their claims, he said. The meeting comes amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. What are the INDIA bloc’s four demands? The memorandum accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of undermining India’s electoral system. It alleges that electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter lists were manipulated in several elections. The bloc’s four demands are: Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation: Remove the Chief Election Commissioner and repeal the 2023 law granting immunity to election commissioners for acts performed in their official capacity. Restore deleted voter names: Suspend the SIR process and reinstate 13.30 crore voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls. Return to paper ballots: Replace EVM-based voting with paper ballots for all elections. Repeal disputed elections: Annul Assembly elections held over the past two years where the bloc claims conclusive evidence of “vote chori” exists. Why has the bloc approached Murmu? The leaders argued that Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides for adult suffrage, underpins representative democracy. They accused the Election Commission of failing to safeguard that right and alleged irregularities in elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal. The memorandum said the President’s office was a final recourse when other avenues had failed. The allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission remain claims made by the Opposition.

The INDIA bloc urged President Murmu to act on four demands over alleged ‘vote chori’. Rahul Gandhi said she did not deny the claims but asked Opposition leaders to submit proof.

From CEC’s resignation to paper ballots: INDIA bloc’s 4 demands to President Murmu

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday (Oct 9) claimed that Indian President Droupadi Murmu “did not deny” the alleged “vote chori” after meeting with INDIA bloc leaders. Instead of “questioning” or “arguing” their statements, the President asked the Opposition leaders to submit proof of the accusations made against the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This comes amid ongoing protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Gandhi said, “The main thing is that I expected the President of India to deny that ‘vote chori’ was taking place. I expected her to say that India has a free and fair electoral system. I was shocked and stunned that the President of India accepted what we said.”Gandhi added, “I sat in quite an unbelievable meeting. First, we took a memorandum to the President of India. In that memorandum, we clearly stated that the Prime Minister, HM Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had conspired to destroy Indian democracy.”He said that the President “in no way denied what we said, questioned what we said, or argued what we said.” Gandhi said that the President “accepted” their statements and then “told us that we needed to provide her with proof of ‘election chori’.”&nbsp;He further added, “I said that the evidence of ‘election chori’ is known to the entire country. State after state has been stolen. The 2024 election was stolen, and yet the President wants us to submit proof to her. This same group of people will be very happy to present the evidence of 'election chori' that we have collected to the President of India when she is ready to accept it.”<h2>What is INDIA bloc demanding?</h2>The INDIA bloc’s memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu called for sweeping changes to the electoral system, including the removal and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition alliance also demanded the withdrawal of parliamentary immunity granted to the CEC and urged the government to replace Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with paper ballots.Another key demand was an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, along with the reinstatement of millions of names allegedly deleted from voter lists across several states.The demands came as opposition MPs and INDIA bloc leaders marched from Parliament towards Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, escalating their protest against the Election Commission and pressing for Kumar’s resignation.

Rahul Gandhi claimed President Droupadi Murmu did not deny the Opposition’s ‘vote chori’ allegations during a meeting, but asked INDIA bloc leaders to submit evidence of alleged electoral fraud.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday (Oct 9) claimed that Indian President Droupadi Murmu “did not deny” the alleged “vote chori” after meeting with INDIA bloc leaders. Instead of “questioning” or “arguing” their statements, the President asked the Opposition leaders to submit proof of the accusations made against the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This comes amid ongoing protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Gandhi said, “The main thing is that I expected the President of India to deny that ‘vote chori’ was taking place. I expected her to say that India has a free and fair electoral system. I was shocked and stunned that the President of India accepted what we said.” Gandhi added, “I sat in quite an unbelievable meeting. First, we took a memorandum to the President of India. In that memorandum, we clearly stated that the Prime Minister, HM Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had conspired to destroy Indian democracy.” He said that the President “in no way denied what we said, questioned what we said, or argued what we said.” Gandhi said that the President “accepted” their statements and then “told us that we needed to provide her with proof of ‘election chori’.” He further added, “I said that the evidence of ‘election chori’ is known to the entire country. State after state has been stolen. The 2024 election was stolen, and yet the President wants us to submit proof to her. This same group of people will be very happy to present the evidence of 'election chori' that we have collected to the President of India when she is ready to accept it.” What is INDIA bloc demanding? The INDIA bloc’s memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu called for sweeping changes to the electoral system, including the removal and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition alliance also demanded the withdrawal of parliamentary immunity granted to the CEC and urged the government to replace Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with paper ballots. Another key demand was an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, along with the reinstatement of millions of names allegedly deleted from voter lists across several states. The demands came as opposition MPs and INDIA bloc leaders marched from Parliament towards Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, escalating their protest against the Election Commission and pressing for Kumar’s resignation.

Rahul Gandhi claimed President Droupadi Murmu did not deny the Opposition’s ‘vote chori’ allegations during a meeting, but asked INDIA bloc leaders to submit evidence of alleged electoral fraud.

‘An unbelievable meeting’: Rahul Gandhi claims President Murmu did not deny ‘vote chori’, sought proof

Karnataka SIT found in an investigation that in the Aland seat, Rs 80 was paid for every fraudulent deletion request from the voter list, ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Election. The SIT has since raided properties belonging to BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, his sons Harshananda and Santhosh. The Aland seat was one of the anomalies brought up by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;According to the SIT investigation in the run-up to the 2023 assembly election, 5,994 of 6,018 voter deletion applications were forged. The credentials of other voters were used by miscreants to file Form 7 applications without the knowledge of the applicants or the targeted voters. The probe pointed to a data centre based in Kalburgi was used as a submission point for these applications. The data center believed to have operated from Guttedar’s area of influence.Two individuals, Md Ashfaq and Md Akram, are alleged to have operated the data centre and facilitated the submission of these applications. The investigation also recovered a laptop and mobile phones. The probe found that 75 numbers belonging to people from different professions poultry farm workers to relatives of police, were used to file applications for the fraudulent deletion request from the voter list. The revelation was followed by a complaint by Congress MLA of Aland, B R Patil.&nbsp;The SIT was initially stalled due to the Election Commission of India not initially providing the crucial technical data to the Criminal Investigation Department.&nbsp;Congress Media Department head Pawan Khera said, “Under the BJP, the sacred right to vote has been reduced to a commodity – suspended for as little as Rs 80 per person. It is a disgrace for this government.” This was one of the prime allegations of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, that voter deletion was not random, “there was method to this madness” said Khera, “The SIT’s findings now confirm that vote chori is no accident but a centrally organised, well-funded racket designed to rig our elections. The more we scratch the surface, the more this fraud is exposed.”&nbsp;

A Karnataka SIT probe reveals a shocking voter fraud in Aland constituency, where Rs 80 was paid for each fake voter-deletion request. Over 6,000 bogus applications were filed ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

Karnataka SIT found in an investigation that in the Aland seat, Rs 80 was paid for every fraudulent deletion request from the voter list, ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Election. The SIT has since raided properties belonging to BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, his sons Harshananda and Santhosh. The Aland seat was one of the anomalies brought up by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. According to the SIT investigation in the run-up to the 2023 assembly election, 5,994 of 6,018 voter deletion applications were forged. The credentials of other voters were used by miscreants to file Form 7 applications without the knowledge of the applicants or the targeted voters. The probe pointed to a data centre based in Kalburgi was used as a submission point for these applications. The data center believed to have operated from Guttedar’s area of influence. Two individuals, Md Ashfaq and Md Akram, are alleged to have operated the data centre and facilitated the submission of these applications. The investigation also recovered a laptop and mobile phones. The probe found that 75 numbers belonging to people from different professions poultry farm workers to relatives of police, were used to file applications for the fraudulent deletion request from the voter list. The revelation was followed by a complaint by Congress MLA of Aland, B R Patil. The SIT was initially stalled due to the Election Commission of India not initially providing the crucial technical data to the Criminal Investigation Department. Congress Media Department head Pawan Khera said, “Under the BJP, the sacred right to vote has been reduced to a commodity – suspended for as little as Rs 80 per person. It is a disgrace for this government.” This was one of the prime allegations of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, that voter deletion was not random, “there was method to this madness” said Khera, “The SIT’s findings now confirm that vote chori is no accident but a centrally organised, well-funded racket designed to rig our elections. The more we scratch the surface, the more this fraud is exposed.”

A Karnataka SIT probe reveals a shocking voter fraud in Aland constituency, where Rs 80 was paid for each fake voter-deletion request. Over 6,000 bogus applications were filed ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

Karnataka SIT uncovers Rs 80-per-voter fraud scheme in Aland seat: Over 6,000 fake deletion requests filed before 2023 polls

The Election Commission of India held a live press conference on the Bihar voter list controversy amid heated debates over Aadhaar and citizenship. Watch to know more!

CEC: Words like 'vote chori' insult to constitution | Poll body slams Rahul Gandhi

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, held a press conference on Wednesday, August 13, at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi to counter the allegations of 'Vote Chori' by Rahul Gandhi. His statements have raised more questions and drawn widespread scrutiny. Thakur presented what he termed as evidence of ‘vote chori’ in several constituencies like Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), Wayanad (Kerala), Diamond Harbour (West Bengal), Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh), Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh), and Kolathur (Tamil Nadu). He claimed that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, and M.K. Stalin all won the election through the inclusion of ‘doubtful voters’.The Congress Party swiftly responded by questioning the ‘veracity’ of Thakur's claims. Congress leader Pawan Khera said that there is an 'understanding' between the BJP and ECI. He said, "It took us 4-6 months to bring forward this data of one Assembly constituency. They have brought out the data of two Parliamentary constituencies. How did they get it? This proves that they have an understanding with the EC." Pawan Khera went ahead and demanded the electronic voter list of Varanasi. He said that by raising the issues of Waynad and Kannuj, Anurag Thakur has validated the claims of voter irregularities.&nbsp;”Those were the data from Wayanad and Kannauj. He says that there are fake votes there, too. So, he has proven what we have said. Anurag Thakur and BJP are raising the same question on EC that we had raised. So, they have proven what we said," said Pawan Khera.&nbsp;Earlier, BJP IT Department Head Amit Malviya said in a post on X that Sonia Gandhi's name first appeared on the electoral roll in 1980, three years before she could become a citizen of India. The rhetoric is diverting the issue towards whataboutery instead of verifying the authenticity of the electoral process. The Election Commission, instead of restoring the sanctity of the democratic institution, is resorting to a war of words by repeatedly demanding an oath from Rahul Gandhi. ECI said that the use of ‘dirty phrases’ like 'chori' is being done to create a false narrative; ‘one person, one vote’ has been there in India since 1951-52. Rahul Gandhi responded, 'Interestingly, they haven't denied the information.'The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the ECI for its reluctance to publish the deleted voter profiles on the Election Commission website, while hearing petitions challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar. It directed ECI to publish the list of 65 lakh deleted voters and the reason for exclusion with a 30 day window to make corrections. ECI lamented when parties lose election they start blaming the electronic voting machines. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Anurag Thakur sparks controversy with his 'vote chori' presser by alleging voter irregularities in the opposition stronghold, drawing backlash from the opposition and validating voter irregularities.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, held a press conference on Wednesday, August 13, at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi to counter the allegations of 'Vote Chori' by Rahul Gandhi. His statements have raised more questions and drawn widespread scrutiny. Thakur presented what he termed as evidence of ‘vote chori’ in several constituencies like Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), Wayanad (Kerala), Diamond Harbour (West Bengal), Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh), Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh), and Kolathur (Tamil Nadu). He claimed that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, and M.K. Stalin all won the election through the inclusion of ‘doubtful voters’. The Congress Party swiftly responded by questioning the ‘veracity’ of Thakur's claims. Congress leader Pawan Khera said that there is an 'understanding' between the BJP and ECI. He said, "It took us 4-6 months to bring forward this data of one Assembly constituency. They have brought out the data of two Parliamentary constituencies. How did they get it? This proves that they have an understanding with the EC." Pawan Khera went ahead and demanded the electronic voter list of Varanasi. He said that by raising the issues of Waynad and Kannuj, Anurag Thakur has validated the claims of voter irregularities. ”Those were the data from Wayanad and Kannauj. He says that there are fake votes there, too. So, he has proven what we have said. Anurag Thakur and BJP are raising the same question on EC that we had raised. So, they have proven what we said," said Pawan Khera. Earlier, BJP IT Department Head Amit Malviya said in a post on X that Sonia Gandhi's name first appeared on the electoral roll in 1980, three years before she could become a citizen of India. The rhetoric is diverting the issue towards whataboutery instead of verifying the authenticity of the electoral process. The Election Commission, instead of restoring the sanctity of the democratic institution, is resorting to a war of words by repeatedly demanding an oath from Rahul Gandhi. ECI said that the use of ‘dirty phrases’ like 'chori' is being done to create a false narrative; ‘one person, one vote’ has been there in India since 1951-52. Rahul Gandhi responded, 'Interestingly, they haven't denied the information.' The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the ECI for its reluctance to publish the deleted voter profiles on the Election Commission website, while hearing petitions challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar. It directed ECI to publish the list of 65 lakh deleted voters and the reason for exclusion with a 30 day window to make corrections. ECI lamented when parties lose election they start blaming the electronic voting machines.

Anurag Thakur sparks controversy with his 'vote chori' presser by alleging voter irregularities in the opposition stronghold, drawing backlash from the opposition and validating voter irregularities.

Vote Chori row- Anurag Thakur’s ‘Vote Chori’ presser lands him in murky political waters

Amidst constant attacks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding fudging voter data, the Election Commission on Thursday (August 14) said rather than resorting to manufacturing false narrative with the help of "dirty words" like 'vote chori' (vote theft), evidence should be produced. In a statement, the EC said the "one person one vote" law is already in place since the first elections in 1951-1952. "If anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as 'chor' without any proof," it said. &nbsp;The poll body said that attempting to build a false narrative through the employment of "dirty words" such as "vote chori" against Indian voters is not only an attack on the crore of Indian voters directly but also an attack on the integrity of lakhs of election officials.&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha opposition leader, last week referenced data to make the claim that over one lakh votes were 'stolen' in Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha's Mahadevpura assembly constituency in the 2024 elections, leading to the loss of a Congress candidate. The Election Commission had instructed Gandhi to present a written statement in support of his allegations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (August 13) claimed that he had a special experience of sharing tea with some "dead" voters from Bihar and thanked the Election Commission (EC) for it. Seven Bihar voters approached the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha at his residence and narrated their experience of how the EC had declared them "dead" and deleted their names from electoral rolls.&nbsp;“There have been many interesting experiences in life, but I never got the chance to have tea with 'dead people'. For this unique experience, thank you Election Commission!,” Gandhi wrote in a post in Hindi on social media platform X. He also posted a video of his interaction with the "dead" voters. In it, Rahul Gandhi can be heard instructing them to walk around and look at Delhi since the "dead" cannot even be issued tickets.

Stop false narrative and give proof Election Commission slams Rahul Gandhi over voter fraud claims

Amidst constant attacks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding fudging voter data, the Election Commission on Thursday (August 14) said rather than resorting to manufacturing false narrative with the help of "dirty words" like 'vote chori' (vote theft), evidence should be produced. In a statement, the EC said the "one person one vote" law is already in place since the first elections in 1951-1952. "If anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as 'chor' without any proof," it said. The poll body said that attempting to build a false narrative through the employment of "dirty words" such as "vote chori" against Indian voters is not only an attack on the crore of Indian voters directly but also an attack on the integrity of lakhs of election officials. Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha opposition leader, last week referenced data to make the claim that over one lakh votes were 'stolen' in Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha's Mahadevpura assembly constituency in the 2024 elections, leading to the loss of a Congress candidate. The Election Commission had instructed Gandhi to present a written statement in support of his allegations. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (August 13) claimed that he had a special experience of sharing tea with some "dead" voters from Bihar and thanked the Election Commission (EC) for it. Seven Bihar voters approached the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha at his residence and narrated their experience of how the EC had declared them "dead" and deleted their names from electoral rolls. “There have been many interesting experiences in life, but I never got the chance to have tea with 'dead people'. For this unique experience, thank you Election Commission!,” Gandhi wrote in a post in Hindi on social media platform X. He also posted a video of his interaction with the "dead" voters. In it, Rahul Gandhi can be heard instructing them to walk around and look at Delhi since the "dead" cannot even be issued tickets.

The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, last week cited data to allege that more than one lakh votes were 'stolen' in Mahadevpura assembly constituency of Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha in 2024 elections, resulting in the defeat of a Congress candidate

'Stop false narrative and give proof’: Election Commission slams Rahul Gandhi over 'voter fraud' claims

While protesting against the &nbsp;Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar, several opposition MPs wore T-shirts that read "Minta Devi" along with a picture of a woman. At the back of the T-shirts, "124 Not Out" was written.<h2>Who is Minta Devi?</h2>The opposition claimed that Minta Devi is a "124-year-old first-time voter" in the Bihar voters' list. The MPs demonstrated a protest demanding a rollback of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the poll-bound state. When the Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi was asked about Minta Devi, he said, “There are unlimited cases like that. There is more to come.” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was there in the protest, said that there were several such cases in which addresses and names of relatives, etc., are all fake.Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore told reporters, “We want a discussion on such issues. How EC has become a party to the BJP. The voter list is full of such fraud.”<h2>‘Who gave them the right to wear t-shirts featuring me?’</h2>News agency ANI talked to Minta Devi, a voter from Bihar's Siwan. She said, "I came to know about this 2-4 days back...Who are they (Opposition MPs) to me? Who is Priyanka Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi to me? Who gave them the right to wear t-shirts featuring me? I think there are discrepancies (in the list). I did not get anyone's (from administration) phone call...Why are they becoming my well-wisher over my age?... This should not be done, I do not want this...I want my details to be corrected...Whoever entered the details, did they do so with their eyes closed?... If I am 124 years old in the eyes of the government, why are they not giving me an old-age pension? My Aadhaar Card mentions 15-07-1990 as my date of birth..."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">वोट चोर - गद्दी छोड़ BJP और चुनाव आयोग मिलकर वोट चोरी कर रहे हैं, जनता के अधिकार छीन रहे हैं। आज INDIA गठबंधन के सांसदों ने वोट चोरी और SIR के खिलाफ आवाज बुलंद की। वोट चोरी देश के विरुद्ध एक गंभीर अपराध है- इसे बर्दाश्त नहीं किया जाएगा। 📍 दिल्ली <a href="https://t.co/uXHCDw4Dkb">pic.twitter.com/uXHCDw4Dkb</a>&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/1955140199048003833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Why is ECI reluctant to release electronic voter roll data?</h2>Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating “vote chori” during the 2024 General election and the recent state assembly election. According to Gandhi, specifically in the 'Mahadevapura' assembly segment of Bengaluru Central, 100,250 duplicate voters were found. Other anomalies include duplicate, fake or bulk registration, misuse of Form 6, and invalid photos. This is the same seat which the BJP won by around 30000 votes. According to him, in Maharashtra, 40 lakh voters were created. He also accused the ECI of destroying CCTV footage, withholding machine-readable voter data and shutting down state election websites.&nbsp;The ECI argues that voter rolls contain sensitive personal data, even though they are available publicly in PDF form. Releasing this in bulk will make it easier for targeted political ads, scams and voter profiling. Moreover, historically, parties have used these data to send campaign messages and bot calls. They often cite Right to Privacy judgments from previous cases and the lack of a Data protection infrastructure. But releasing the voter data will make large-scale duplicate audits possible, thus revealing the errors or malpractices. This is exactly the kind of audit that will give Rahul Gandhi's vote theft claim strength in the spine. Thus, ECI controls the narrative by limiting access to the electronic voter data.&nbsp;

The opposition claimed that Minta Devi is a 124-year-old first-time voter in the Bihar voters list. The MPs demonstrated a protest demanding a rollback of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the poll-bound state. 

While protesting against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar, several opposition MPs wore T-shirts that read "Minta Devi" along with a picture of a woman. At the back of the T-shirts, "124 Not Out" was written. Who is Minta Devi? The opposition claimed that Minta Devi is a "124-year-old first-time voter" in the Bihar voters' list. The MPs demonstrated a protest demanding a rollback of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the poll-bound state. When the Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi was asked about Minta Devi, he said, “There are unlimited cases like that. There is more to come.” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was there in the protest, said that there were several such cases in which addresses and names of relatives, etc., are all fake. Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore told reporters, “We want a discussion on such issues. How EC has become a party to the BJP. The voter list is full of such fraud.” ‘Who gave them the right to wear t-shirts featuring me?’ News agency ANI talked to Minta Devi, a voter from Bihar's Siwan. She said, "I came to know about this 2-4 days back...Who are they (Opposition MPs) to me? Who is Priyanka Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi to me? Who gave them the right to wear t-shirts featuring me? I think there are discrepancies (in the list). I did not get anyone's (from administration) phone call...Why are they becoming my well-wisher over my age?... This should not be done, I do not want this...I want my details to be corrected...Whoever entered the details, did they do so with their eyes closed?... If I am 124 years old in the eyes of the government, why are they not giving me an old-age pension? My Aadhaar Card mentions 15-07-1990 as my date of birth..."

The opposition claimed that Minta Devi is a 124-year-old first-time voter in the Bihar voters' list. The MPs demonstrated a protest demanding a rollback of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the poll-bound state.&nbsp;

Did you see opposition wearing 'Minta Devi' shirts? Who is she? Hint: A '124-Year-Old' 'first-time voter'

Opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sharad Pawar, began their march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters on Monday but were stopped by Delhi Police. The march was in protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged “voter fraud” during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.&nbsp;The protest saw some drama and histrionics as MPs wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori” raised slogans and carried placards accusing the Election Commission of collusion with the government.&nbsp;The march began at Parliament’s Makar Dwar but was halted at Transport Bhawan, where police had set up heavy barricading.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Akhilesh Yadav scales barricades</h2>Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav climbed over the barricades, chanting slogans against the SIR exercise.&nbsp;“They are using the police to stop us,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">VIDEO | Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav (<a href="https://twitter.com/yadavakhilesh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yadavakhilesh</a> ) was seen jumping over the police barricade, protesting with banners in hand as protesting opposition MPs were stopped by police barricades at Transport Bhawan while marching towards the Election Commission headquarters.… <a href="https://t.co/OtvYEM3NgS">pic.twitter.com/OtvYEM3NgS</a>&mdash; Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/1954796286567415928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;Women MPs, including saree-clad TMC’s Mohua Moitra and Congress’ Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, also climbed the barricades while others sat on the road and chanted slogans.&nbsp;<h2>TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Mitali Bag faint</h2>&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Breaking ‼️ TMC MP Mahua Moitra felt unwell during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VoteChori?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VoteChori</a> protest march. India Alliance leaders took care of her.<a href="https://t.co/YetV8yKSh7">pic.twitter.com/YetV8yKSh7</a>&mdash; Priyamwada (@PriaINC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PriaINC/status/1954871613381357613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;Amid the chaos, sloganeering, detention and sit-in protest, two Trinamool Congress MPs—Mahua Moitra and Mitali Baugh—fainted. Fellow politicians were seen attempting to revive them with water and first aid. Baugh was shifted to hospital.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and others help TMC MP Mitali Bagh, who fainted during the opposition protest and the resulting detention by the police. (Source: ANI) <a href="https://t.co/sB6t8bbswV">pic.twitter.com/sB6t8bbswV</a>&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1954808865112867238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi detained</h2>Delhi Police detained Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, for holding the unauthorised protest. Rahul said, “This fight is not political, but it is aimed at saving the Constitution. This fight is for ‘one man, one vote’ and we want a clean, pure voter list.” Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit told ANI, “The detained INDIA bloc leaders have been taken to a nearby Police Station. We are still counting the number of MPs detained. There was no permission for a protest here, but we had intimation.” New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar said there was permission for only 30 MPs from the Election Commission. <h2>‘Opposition trying to create anarchy’</h2> Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused opposition parties of trying to “create anarchy in the country”. He dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s “vote theft” claim as a “lie” and alleged the protests were part of a “well thought out strategy to create instability”. Pradhan said, “Congress and other opposition parties want to make ‘intruders’ voters in the country.” INDIA bloc has made the SIR its central issue, linking it to broader claims of democratic erosion under the BJP. The EC has rejected the allegations, insisting its procedures meet legal standards.

The opposition's protest march saw some drama and histrionics as MPs wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori” raised slogans and carried placards accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the government.

Opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sharad Pawar, began their march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters on Monday but were stopped by Delhi Police. The march was in protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged “voter fraud” during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The protest saw some drama and histrionics as MPs wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori” raised slogans and carried placards accusing the Election Commission of collusion with the government. The march began at Parliament’s Makar Dwar but was halted at Transport Bhawan, where police had set up heavy barricading. Akhilesh Yadav scales barricades Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav climbed over the barricades, chanting slogans against the SIR exercise. “They are using the police to stop us,” he said.

The opposition's protest march saw some drama and histrionics as MPs wearing white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori” raised slogans and carried placards accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the government.

High drama at oppn’s ‘vote theft’ march: Akhilesh jumps barricades; Mahua Moitra faints | Watch

Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating “vote chori” during the 2024 General election and the recent state assembly election. According to Gandhi, specifically in the 'Mahadevapura' assembly segment of Bengaluru Central, 100,250 duplicate voters were found. Other anomalies include duplicate, fake or bulk registration, misuse of Form 6, and invalid photos. This is the same seat which the BJP won by around 30000 votes. According to him, in Maharashtra, 40 lakh voters were created. He also accused the ECI of destroying CCTV footage, withholding machine-readable voter data and shutting down state election websites.<h2>Are Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' claims completely baseless?</h2>Rahul Gandhi's allegations are serious and tap into the broader public fear of electoral manipulation. There had been several independent investigations by the news outlets based on the details of the press conference of Rahul Gandhi. He gave an example of the house no. 35 in Muni Reddy Garden, Mahadevpura, which houses 80 registered voters. Several outlets like India Today, The Print, and Deccan Herald independently visited the address mentioned by Rahul Gandhi. The findings raised serious red flags. The house is occupied by a food delivery agent, Dipankar, from West Bengal, on rent. The house belongs to Jayaram Reddy, who once claimed to be with the BJP but later backtracked.&nbsp;Other independent verifications in Election Commission websites show bizarre findings, like many voters registered with house number zero, multiple voters voting with the same names, same address, a gibberish collection of random letters in the names and illegible microscopic images are present in the Election Commission's voter list. Open source analysis by Peek TV shows that the assembly in Bengaluru Central, which is in the middle of this political storm, has one voter named Gurkirat Singh Dang who is registered in four different polling booths and has four different voter IDs. Similarly, Aditya Shrivastava, a voter, is registered in UP, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.<h2>How did ECI respond?</h2>ECI quickly dismissed all the allegations, calling it a 'tired script' relating it to the previous claims of voter theft in 2018 by Congress leaders that were dismissed by the Supreme Court. &nbsp;It has demanded that Rahul Gandhi should either sign an apology or a formal declaration; refusal to do that means a lack of belief in his claims. The same affidavit-level evidence was asked by the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Election Commission of India cited Registration of Electors Rules 1960, 20(3)(b), a signed oath from Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;However, according to the rules, the Registration officer doesn't need to seek a signed oath. Similarly, Section 12 states that any complaint must be submitted within 30 days of the publication of the draft roll. Even if Rahul Gandhi signs an oath, the Registration Officer can just refuse to entertain the claims. So why do ECI need an affidavit if they can just deny it? Is it an attempt to buy time to cover up the mess created?It is to be noted that these duplicate voters do not necessarily indicate voter manipulation; these can stem from technical and mechanical errors as well as poor voter synchronisation. But the reaction from the ECI smells fishy. Former Justice of Bombay High Court BG Kolse Patil has criticised ECI's response as overly arrogant, called for Supreme Court intervention to hold them accountable.&nbsp;<h2>Why is ECI reluctant to release electronic voter roll data?</h2>The ECI argues that voter rolls contain sensitive personal data, even though they are available publicly in PDF form. Releasing this in bulk will make it easier for targeted political ads, scams and voter profiling. &nbsp;Moreover, historically, parties have used these data to send campaign messages and botcalls. They often cite Right to Privacy judgments from previous cases and lack of a Data protection infrastructure. But releasing the voter data will make large-scale duplicate audits possible, thus revealing the errors or malpractices. This is exactly the kind of audit that will give Rahul Gandhi's vote theft claim strength in spine. Thus, ECI controls the narrative by limiting access to the electronic voter data.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi's recent press conference has created a political storm in India, with several irregularities in ECI data questions about fair elections are imminent, as the ruling BJP tries to brush this off. Why is ECI too reluctant to give access to electronic data for an independent audit?

Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating “vote chori” during the 2024 General election and the recent state assembly election. According to Gandhi, specifically in the 'Mahadevapura' assembly segment of Bengaluru Central, 100,250 duplicate voters were found. Other anomalies include duplicate, fake or bulk registration, misuse of Form 6, and invalid photos. This is the same seat which the BJP won by around 30000 votes. According to him, in Maharashtra, 40 lakh voters were created. He also accused the ECI of destroying CCTV footage, withholding machine-readable voter data and shutting down state election websites. Are Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' claims completely baseless? Rahul Gandhi's allegations are serious and tap into the broader public fear of electoral manipulation. There had been several independent investigations by the news outlets based on the details of the press conference of Rahul Gandhi. He gave an example of the house no. 35 in Muni Reddy Garden, Mahadevpura, which houses 80 registered voters. Several outlets like India Today, The Print, and Deccan Herald independently visited the address mentioned by Rahul Gandhi. The findings raised serious red flags. The house is occupied by a food delivery agent, Dipankar, from West Bengal, on rent. The house belongs to Jayaram Reddy, who once claimed to be with the BJP but later backtracked. Other independent verifications in Election Commission websites show bizarre findings, like many voters registered with house number zero, multiple voters voting with the same names, same address, a gibberish collection of random letters in the names and illegible microscopic images are present in the Election Commission's voter list. Open source analysis by Peek TV shows that the assembly in Bengaluru Central, which is in the middle of this political storm, has one voter named Gurkirat Singh Dang who is registered in four different polling booths and has four different voter IDs. Similarly, Aditya Shrivastava, a voter, is registered in UP, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. How did ECI respond? ECI quickly dismissed all the allegations, calling it a 'tired script' relating it to the previous claims of voter theft in 2018 by Congress leaders that were dismissed by the Supreme Court. It has demanded that Rahul Gandhi should either sign an apology or a formal declaration; refusal to do that means a lack of belief in his claims. The same affidavit-level evidence was asked by the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Election Commission of India cited Registration of Electors Rules 1960, 20(3)(b), a signed oath from Rahul Gandhi. However, according to the rules, the Registration officer doesn't need to seek a signed oath. Similarly, Section 12 states that any complaint must be submitted within 30 days of the publication of the draft roll. Even if Rahul Gandhi signs an oath, the Registration Officer can just refuse to entertain the claims. So why do ECI need an affidavit if they can just deny it? Is it an attempt to buy time to cover up the mess created? It is to be noted that these duplicate voters do not necessarily indicate voter manipulation; these can stem from technical and mechanical errors as well as poor voter synchronisation. But the reaction from the ECI smells fishy. Former Justice of Bombay High Court BG Kolse Patil has criticised ECI's response as overly arrogant, called for Supreme Court intervention to hold them accountable. Why is ECI reluctant to release electronic voter roll data? The ECI argues that voter rolls contain sensitive personal data, even though they are available publicly in PDF form. Releasing this in bulk will make it easier for targeted political ads, scams and voter profiling. Moreover, historically, parties have used these data to send campaign messages and botcalls. They often cite Right to Privacy judgments from previous cases and lack of a Data protection infrastructure. But releasing the voter data will make large-scale duplicate audits possible, thus revealing the errors or malpractices. This is exactly the kind of audit that will give Rahul Gandhi's vote theft claim strength in spine. Thus, ECI controls the narrative by limiting access to the electronic voter data.

Rahul Gandhi's recent press conference has created a political storm in India, with several irregularities in ECI data questions about fair elections are imminent, as the ruling BJP tries to brush this off. Why is ECI too reluctant to give access to electronic data for an independent audit?

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ claim strengthened by independent findings of voter roll irregularities, ECI criticised for data secrecy

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