Rahul Gandhi Alleges Electoral “Theft” Ahead of Bihar Assembly Polls

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In a strong accusation leveled against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that “elections are being stolen” under the current government, specifically pointing to irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the state’s upcoming assembly elections. His remarks, made on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, have intensified the political discourse, with the Congress demanding accountability and promising to expose what it calls “massive theft” in the electoral process.

Gandhi, who also serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the Election Commission (EC) is acting as the BJP’s “election chori wing,” assisting the saffron party in alleged voter fraud. He reposted a video on social media, purportedly showing government officials filling out voter forms and signing them without the knowledge of the voters. He questioned the EC’s neutrality, asking if it has “completely become BJP’s ‘Election Theft’ wing.”

The Congress leader’s allegations stem from revelations by the EC itself, which stated that during house-to-house visits in the Bihar SIR exercise, over 52 lakh (5.2 million) voters were found missing from their registered addresses, and another 18 lakh (1.8 million) had died. Gandhi asserted that this situation is not isolated to Bihar, claiming similar “cheating” occurred in Maharashtra, where, he alleged, “one crore new voters had come in Maharashtra and the election was stolen.”

Adding to his claims, Gandhi promised a major exposé on electoral “theft” after investigating a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. “In Karnataka, we have found out ‘bhayankar chori’ (massive theft). I will show it in black and white to you and the Election Commission,” he stated, explaining that his party digitized a paper voter list and, after six months of deep diving, “uncovered their whole system, how they do it, who votes, and from where new voters are brought.”

The opposition, including the INDIA bloc, has been staging protests in both houses of Parliament, demanding a discussion on the Bihar SIR, which they allege is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise voters ahead of the assembly elections expected in October or November this year.

The BJP has consistently refuted these allegations. Earlier, regarding similar claims about the 2024 Maharashtra elections, the BJP dismissed Gandhi’s remarks as “spreading falsehoods to pre-empt an expected defeat” and reiterated that elections are conducted strictly in accordance with laws and established rules. The Election Commission has also defended the SIR exercise as a necessary “cleansing” of voter lists to remove ineligible people and duplicate entries.

As the political temperature rises in Bihar, Gandhi’s accusations underscore a significant point of contention between the ruling party and the opposition, setting the stage for a fiercely contested electoral battle and continued scrutiny of the electoral process.