Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest attempt to discredit the 2024 Lok Sabha election results with sweeping charges of “vote chori” has run into a wall of facts, data, and official rebuttals. While Gandhi accuses the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP in manipulating voter rolls, the BJP has countered with irrefutable statistics showing Congress’s highest vote share in 35 years, while the Election Commission has challenged him to produce concrete proof through a sworn affidavit.
Leading the charge, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya shredded Rahul Gandhi’s narrative, posting on X, “Congress cries ‘vote chori’, but the fact is that the Congress+ vote share in 2024 is the highest in the last 35 years. Looks like no one told Rahul Gandhi.”
Congress cries ‘vote chori’, but the fact is that the Congress+ vote share in 2024 is the highest in the last 35 years. Looks like no one told Rahul Gandhi. 😂 pic.twitter.com/MoB51dGohh
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 25, 2025
The data is unambiguous: in the 2024 general elections, the Congress and its allies secured 41 per cent vote share, a two-point jump from 39% in 1989. This, the BJP argues, exposes the hollowness of Rahul Gandhi’s claims. BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan echoed the point, slamming Gandhi for running what he called a smear campaign against constitutional institutions.
“Rahul Gandhi is on a witch hunt tarnishing Constitutional institutions with his ‘votes are being stolen’ slander. Can he explain why Congress’s vote share has either remained the same or increased? Hope he does not duck this question like the affidavit,” Kesavan said.
Similarly, BJP leader and psephologist Pradeep Bhandari asked the obvious question Rahul Gandhi is dodging, “If ‘vote chori’ has happened, how has the Congress and its allies’ vote share increased from 39 per cent to 41 per cent since 1989? After the Supreme Court, even hard data has exposed his claim.”
Rahul Gandhi is a serial liar. He lies consecutively, consciously to create distrust in the mind of Indian voter against Indian state. https://t.co/89RHz7SQtN pic.twitter.com/Gz7qkhdqwd
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) August 25, 2025
Despite the numbers, Rahul Gandhi has continued to allege that the BJP manipulated the 2024 polls by tampering with electoral rolls. Citing data he claims to have obtained from the Election Commission itself, Gandhi alleged that duplicate and fake entries were inserted in constituencies like Mahadevapura in Karnataka, where Congress claims over one lakh “fake votes” were added to hand the BJP victory.
Expanding his charges, Gandhi pointed to alleged irregularities in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, accusing the Election Commission of acting as a silent collaborator. His remarks included the sweeping claim that “India’s democracy is being stolen.”
But these allegations, far from gaining credibility, have raised eyebrows since Gandhi and the Congress benefitted from their highest national vote share in decades.
The Election Commission of India has reacted sharply, dismissing Gandhi’s charges as “misleading” and baseless. In a formal response, the poll body clarified that the electoral roll preparation is transparent, consultative, and includes active participation of all political parties.
Significantly, the ECI has now issued a challenge: Rahul Gandhi must submit a signed affidavit with documentary evidence to back his explosive claims. Absent this, the Commission has warned, his allegations will stand discredited and invalid.
This direct demand for proof puts Gandhi in a tight spot. His refusal or failure to comply could confirm the suspicion that his “vote chori” campaign is built on rhetoric rather than reality. The controversy deepened after sections of the media were found amplifying Gandhi’s allegations without adequate verification.
A report in The Hindu’s Frontline, later amplified by India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, cited a defeated MVA candidate in Maharashtra’s Panvel constituency accusing a voter named Pradeep Poraji of voting in two places. Sardesai dramatically labelled it “the biggest development” and demanded accountability from the Election Commission.
The only individual quoted by The Hindu’s Frontline in their fake story to bolster Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” allegation in Maharashtra has denied the charge. India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai amplified it furiously, calling it the biggest development and demanding accountability… https://t.co/eLCx9cQ2dY
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 25, 2025
But the claim collapsed when Poraji himself spoke to OpIndia, expressing shock and anger at being falsely accused. He categorically denied voting twice, calling the charge “fabricated and defamatory.”
BJP leaders seized on this as another example of Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” narrative being propped up by half-truths, unverified claims, and irresponsible media amplification. Amit Malviya declared, “Another #VoteChori allegation falls flat.”
