Chicago – September 18, 2025
Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s opposition Congress party, has accused the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of shielding “vote thieves” and deliberately manipulating electoral rolls to benefit the ruling BJP party.
Speaking at a press conference on September 18, 2025, Gandhi alleged that systematic efforts had been made to delete or add names in voter lists, particularly targeting constituencies like Karnataka’s Aland, where he claimed over 6,000 votes were nearly deleted through impersonation and software-assisted manipulation.
Gandhi said he has “100% proof” of these manipulations and criticized the Election Commission for ignoring repeated complaints and blocking investigations by the Karnataka CID. He accused the commission of acting as an agent protecting those undermining democracy rather than safeguarding electoral integrity.
While the ECI dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as “incorrect and unfounded,” the opposition leader warned that public anger would grow as the issue of “vote chori” (vote theft) comes to light.
The BJP strongly denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated. Former election commissioners, however, urged the commission to transparently address such concerns to maintain trust in India’s electoral process, which involves nearly a billion voters. Gandhi vowed to intensify efforts to expose the alleged vote theft nationwide.
