Rahul Gandhi invokes ‘Gen Z’ in fight against ‘vote theft’, sparks buzz with Nepal protest parallel

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — after wrapping up the second phase of his drive against what he terms “vote theft” — posted on X on Thursday evening that India’s students and young people will “defend the Constitution, safeguard democracy, and end vote theft,” pledging his support to them.

But one more group he listed alongside students and youth has raised eyebrows: “Gen Z,” the same cohort credited with driving protests in neighbouring Nepal that brought down its government.

The demonstrations in Nepal began over restrictions on popular social media sites but soon grew into a wider campaign against graft. They culminated in the fall of the KP Sharma Oli administration, paving the way for former Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki, known for her anti-corruption record, to take charge as interim Prime Minister.

Gandhi, who has repeatedly accused the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding to skew electoral outcomes, has also sharpened his attacks on alleged corruption in the NDA government. The BJP, the poll body, and those he has named have all dismissed his charges.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi again took aim at the Election Commission, claiming it orchestrated a “mass deletion” of voters ahead of the 2023 Karnataka assembly polls through centralised software. Presenting a PowerPoint, he cited an attempt to strike 6,018 names from the rolls in the Aland constituency. The Commission countered that Congress had, in fact, won the seat.