Yearender 2025: 'Vote Chori' Allegations Shake India’s Political Scene Amid Rahul-CEC Faceoff
'Vote chori' became a defining fault line in Indian politics this year. Here is a sum-up of what happened.
Published : December 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM IST
By Manzoor-ul-Hassan
New Delhi: As the curtains prepare to fall on 2025, the year has witnessed the dominance of the 'vote chori' (vote theft) discourse in India’s political landscape.
From persistent allegations by Congress and other opposition parties to the vehement rebuttals from the Election Commission, the year saw it all. The clash between critics and the poll body also shaped a narrative for the public to participate in the electoral battle with enthusiasm and an element of cynicism.
'Vote Chori' as a rallying cry
In July, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, triggered a row with startling claims that thousands of votes had been "stolen" in recent elections. Citing data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in a presentation, he alleged that over 1 lakh votes were "stolen" in the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka through "duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses and single-address voters."
Taking his allegations further, Gandhi alleged that a centralised mechanism was being used to delete or manipulate voter registrations, and in the process, "special software" was deployed to target Dalit, OBC, minority, and other communities, whom the ruling party believed might lean toward his party.
The Congress vice president also cited the 2023 Assembly constituency in Aland (Karnataka) and a segment in Rajura (Maharashtra) and claimed "mass deletions, bogus entries and duplicate registrations."
Nearly a month after the first major allegation of 'voter chori', he escalated his confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) during his August "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar, when he framed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the voter-roll revision in the state, as a "new weapon" for vote theft.
He also demanded its immediate rollback, warning that it would threaten the democratic system of election and undermine the principle of "one person, one vote".
Gandhi also centred his Yatra around 'vote chori', seeking to mobilise opposition parties and gather popular support ahead of the Bihar elections. As a potent political tool, the Congress leader tried to bring mistrust towards the incumbent government.
CEC and ECI rebuttals
After widespread controversy, the poll body, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, came up with a swift response. If critics failed to submit an affidavit with concrete evidence within seven days, their vote theft claims would be deemed "baseless", the ECI said on August 17.
Later, Kumar addressed a press conference, and in response to questions about Gandhi’s allegations, he said, "Should the Commission issue notice to 1.5 lakh voters without declaration under oath by the complainant?"
He added, "If no declaration under oath is given within 7 days, claims will be considered baseless and invalid, and those who are making unfounded allegations should apologise to the nation," he added. Kumar also rejected allegations of mass deletion and manipulation of voter rolls as "misleading" and "disrespectful to the Constitution".
Terming the SIR exercise in Bihar a "standard, transparent procedure", the Commission reaffirmed that practice treats all voters equally, regardless of caste, community or political affiliation.
ECI officials also assured that there would never be any political interference or any other influence to delete votes that occur online. Any change to the rolls requires due process, from hearings to verification.
The IAS Officers’ Association also supported CEC and condemned the personal attacks and trolling directed at ECI and their families after the allegations surfaced. They termed them "sexualised or caste-based insults" and extended firm backing for the poll body. This helped ECI to protect its institutional reputation and the credibility of the electoral framework.
Political reverberations
After the widespread 'vote chori' controversy covering different states, the Congress and other allies in the INDIA bloc started opposing SIR in different states. It also triggered protests and public anxiety, with several regional parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), lending support to the allegations.
Terming the SIR a front for "systematic disenfranchisement", the parties argued that the ECI was complicit. Their involvement further galvanised the campaign as several media houses, think tanks and civil-service bodies openly debated the credibility of voter-roll revisions and safeguards of India’s electoral system.
Many ordinary voters also came out with their testimonies, expressing uncertainty that their names might be missing from updated rolls. Some even felt their vote might not count on election day.
The CEC has invited formal complaints and sworn statements to allow for credible investigations, but in response, opposition leaders continue to press the narrative, amplifying voter-roll anomalies where found.
Amid special revision of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union Territories, a new agonising fact hogged the headlines. A controversy has erupted over the reported deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are engaged in exercise.
The states and UTs where the SIR is being conducted comprise Andaman and Nicobar, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Lakshadweep. The list includes election-bound states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
According to the ECI, 5,32,828 BLOs have been discharging their duties in the ongoing SIR in 12 states and Union Territories. Out of these, the highest number of BLOs are from Uttar Pradesh. The total number of BLOs engaged is 1,62,486.
As many as 34 BLOs have lost their lives till December 4. One of these deaths occurred during the first phase of SIR in Bihar, which was conducted before the Assembly polls. Thirty-three BLOs have died so far in the second phase of SIR.
Although the ECI sought a report from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in connection with the deaths of BLOs in their respective states, the opposition continued their attack on the poll panel regarding this issue.
After the clean sweep by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA in the Bihar polls, the row over 'vote chori' and SIR has not remained confined to rhetorical sparring; it is likely to shape how electoral reforms take shape in 2026 and beyond as an essential test for democratic institutions. And whether the allegations have merit or not, 'vote chori' has become a defining fault line in Indian politics this year.
Read More:
