How BJP, EC fact check Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ allegations in Karnataka, Maharashtra

With Gandhi standing firm on his allegations, a resolution to the dispute appears distant

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s sharp attack on the Election Commission, alleging large-scale “vote theft” in favour of the BJP, has sparked a political storm. However, fact-checks by the BJP and the Election Commission suggest the situation may not be as serious as the Congress leader claims, News18 reported.

According to the report, Gandhi’s key allegations centre on the Mahadevapura polls in Karnataka, where he alleged the elections were clearly rigged. The Congress even held a major rally in Bengaluru on Friday highlighting the issue. Fact-checkers pointed out that a photograph of the electoral roll with Booth Level Agent (BLA) signatures does not in itself prove multiple voting. The EC said the BJP led in four assembly segments in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency, not just Mahadevapura, while the Congress led in four others.

It is reported that BJP fact-checks also highlighted duplicate voter entries in minority strongholds of the Congress such as Shivajinagar and Chamarajpet, questioning why Gandhi is only raising concerns about areas where the BJP led.

In Maharashtra’s Dhule Lok Sabha seat – the state often cited by Gandhi in his criticism of the EC – the Congress won despite duplicate voter entries. The BJP polled 5.75 lakh votes in five assembly segments while the Congress polled 3.84 lakh. Congress led Malegaon Central, a minority-dominated segment, with about 94.52% of the vote, while the BJP got only 2.21%. The BJP has questioned whether duplicate voters contributed to Congress’s win here as well, according to the report.

Addressing Gandhi’s claim of 80 voters registered at one Mahadevapura address, it is reported that the address had been used by migrant labourers who had since moved out, with no evidence that they all voted for the BJP. In another case, 18 names were found registered from a single house.

The BJP argues such issues show the need for a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The EC maintains that voter duplication often results from multi-city or multi-town listings, not deliberate fraud, and has urged all parties to cooperate in preventing such cases. With Gandhi standing firm on his allegations, News18 noted that a resolution to the dispute appears distant.