Election Commission hits back at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Fraud’ charge

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 17, 2025: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday strongly rebutted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of “vote fraud,” saying terms like “vote chori” insult the Constitution and undermine voters’ faith.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, flanked by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, said the poll body treats all political parties equally. “Every party is the same for us. The Commission will not step back from its constitutional responsibility,” he asserted.

The pushback came as Mr Gandhi launched his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, accusing the ECI of colluding with the BJP.

Mr Kumar said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter lists was initiated at the behest of political parties to correct database errors. He urged parties to use the one-month window to raise objections. “The doors of the Election Commission are always open,” he added.

Rejecting charges of irregularities, the CEC noted that over one crore officials and lakhs of agents oversee elections. “Can anyone steal votes in front of so many people? Allegations without proof only spread misinformation,” he said.

The ECI also defended its stand against a machine-readable voter list, citing Supreme Court concerns over privacy breaches.

Mr Gandhi had earlier alleged voter fraud in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura segment and has now taken his campaign to Bihar, covering 1,300 km across 20 districts.