Rahul Gandhi has once again leveled serious charges of electoral malpractice, accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of ‘vote chori’ during the recent Haryana assembly polls. Gandhi dramatically presented stacks of documents at a press conference, asserting that nearly 12.5% of Haryana’s 2 crore voters were fraudulent, totaling around 25 lakh individuals. His claims detailed the removal of 3.5 lakh voters, alleged to be Congress sympathizers, alongside a significant number of bulk voters, duplicates, and those with invalid addresses. A particularly striking allegation involved a single photograph of a Brazilian model appearing on numerous voter IDs to facilitate multiple votes. These assertions have been challenged by an investigative journalism piece. Journalists investigating Gandhi’s claims found discrepancies on the ground. For example, a house cited as having 66 voters was revealed to be a large ancestral property where multiple family branches reside, with all registered voters casting their ballots without impediment. Another address, supposedly hosting 501 voters, was found to be a plot of land housing several generations of a family, along with educational institutions and commercial establishments. The women voters whose names were linked to the ‘Brazilian model’ photo confirmed their identity and legitimate voting. The Election Commission has responded by directing Gandhi to present his evidence in court and highlighted the lack of formal appeals filed by the Congress party regarding the electoral rolls. The EC clarified that ‘zero’ addresses often appear due to a lack of formal house numbering in certain areas. Political commentators interpret Gandhi’s actions as a maneuver to shift responsibility for electoral losses away from his leadership, particularly following anticipated victories in state elections that did not occur. This strategy is seen as an attempt to protect his position within the party as election results continue to challenge his leadership.
