Congress Launches Web Page to Back Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Claims, Seeks ECI Accountability

Congress has escalated its campaign over Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of poll rigging by introducing a new portal where citizens can register to demand accountability from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The initiative targets what the party calls “vote chori” and urges support for Gandhi’s push for digital voter rolls.

In a post on X, Gandhi wrote in Hindi that “vote theft” is an attack on the democratic principle of ‘one person, one vote’ and emphasized that a clean voter list is essential for free and fair elections.

“Our demand from the Election Commission is clear — show transparency and make the digital voter list public so that the public and political parties can audit it themselves,” he stated. Gandhi encouraged people to register on votechori.in/ecdemand, adding, “This is a fight to protect democracy.”

Portal offers resources and proof claims

The portal allows visitors to download what it calls “vote chori proof,” demand ECI accountability, and report cases of vote theft.

It features a video of Gandhi repeating his claims of a “huge criminal fraud” in the elections through alleged collusion between the BJP and the ECI.

Gandhi cited data from a Karnataka constituency, describing it as “a crime against the Constitution.” The portal’s message asserts that voting is the foundation of democracy but is under “systematic attack by the BJP, with the Election Commission complicit.”

“In just one assembly segment of Bangalore Central, we found over 1 lakh fake voters that helped the BJP win this Lok Sabha seat. Imagine this happening in 70-100 seats — it would destroy free elections,” the message reads.

The Congress and the INDIA bloc claim to have raised concerns before, including in Maharashtra, and now say they have proof.

Once a person registers, the portal issues a certificate stating opposition to “vote chori” and bearing signatures of senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal, and Ajay Maken.

Leaders and supporters share participation online

Many Congress leaders and supporters have registered on the portal, sharing their certificates on social media. The platform also offers a phone number for registration via SMS link.

Congress has combined this campaign with Gandhi’s ongoing accusations against the ECI, alleging voter list irregularities and double voting by citizens in multiple states.

Tomorrow morning, INDIA Alliance MPs plan to march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters over alleged SIR and voter list discrepancies.

Election Commission challenges allegations

The Election Commission has rejected Gandhi’s allegations and has demanded that he either sign a declaration under oath to substantiate his claims or issue a public apology.

On August 9, poll officials again pressed the Leader of the Opposition to back his statements with verifiable proof.

The ECI has pointed to preliminary inquiries contradicting Gandhi’s claims. The chief electoral officer in Karnataka asked Gandhi to submit relevant documents supporting his statements.

Dispute over Shakun Rani’s case

One case highlighted by Gandhi involves a voter named Shakun Rani, whom he alleged had voted twice.

The Karnataka CEO’s letter, dated August 10, stated that initial findings show this is not true and that the document Gandhi presented was not issued by a polling officer.

“In your ibid Press Conference, you have stated that the documents shown in your presentation are from the records of the Election Commission of India. You have said: ‘This is EC data’,” the letter said.

It continued, “You have also stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt. Shakun Rani has voted twice. You have said: ‘Es ID card per do baar vote lagahai, wo jo tick hai, polling booth ke officer kihai’.”

According to the letter, Rani has confirmed she voted only once. The inquiry concluded that the tick-marked document displayed by Gandhi is not an official record from a polling officer.

Continuing confrontation

The exchange between Congress and the ECI over these allegations shows no sign of slowing. Gandhi maintains that irregularities in voter rolls represent a grave threat to Indian democracy, while the ECI insists that his claims lack credible evidence.

With the INDIA bloc’s planned march to the ECI office, the controversy surrounding “vote chori” is set to continue dominating the political conversation in the coming days.