Vote theft row: EC once again fact checks Rahul Gandhi, says claim of Subodh Kumar's removal from voter list 'false'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (File photo/PTI)

As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi restated his claims of large-scale voter deletion in Bihar, involving a viral video of a man called Subodh Kumar, ahead of the Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) once again issued a rebuttal.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday shared a video from Bihar on social media and stated, "What has happened with Subodh Kumar ji is happening with lakhs of people in Bihar. Vote theft is an attack on Bharat Mata, the people of Bihar will not allow this to happen."

जो सुबोध कुमार जी के साथ हुआ, वही लाखों लोगों के साथ बिहार में हो रहा है।

वोट चोरी भारत माता पर आक्रमण है - बिहार की जनता ये होने नहीं देगी। pic.twitter.com/Xtfun3CGPG

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 19, 2025

In the video, Subodh Kumar claimed that his name had been removed from the draft electoral roll.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that a "partnership" has been going on between the Election Commission and the BJP to "steal votes" and cautioned people in Bihar that once their right to vote is snatched away, their ration cards and lands will also be taken away.

While addressing a gathering in Nalanda on the third day of his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, Gandhi alleged that the EC is getting "vote chori" done and said that after an analysis the Congress found over one lakh fake voters voted in one assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat but the poll body refused to answer and asked him to give an affidavit instead.

He said 65 lakh voters have been deleted in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and urged people to not allow this, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

Election Commission refutes claim

The Election Commission was quick to respond to Rahul Gandhi's allegations. It issued a detailed clarification, asserting that Kumar is a Booth Level Agent of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and not an ordinary voter.

The poll body said Subodh Kumar's name did not exist in the electoral roll even prior to the Special Intensive Revision or SIR, and therefore the allegation of his name being "deleted" is false, according to a report by NDTV.

The Commission also pointed out that Kumar's name was not found in the list of deleted voters published in compliance with Supreme Court directions.

He did not submit any claim or objection under Form-6 or the required declaration after the publication of the draft roll. Kumar was personally present when the deletion list at polling station number 10 was pasted for public notice but raised no objection, the Commission said.

A detailed report from District Election Officer, Nawada, read, "It is clear that the allegation made by Subodh Kumar regarding deletion of his name in the SIR 2025 is baseless and untrue. If he submits Form-6 and the required declaration in future, his name will be included in accordance with law".

This is not the first time that the Election Commission has rebutted Rahul Gandhi's claims. Earlier in Aurangabad, Gandhi had highlighted the case of Ranju Devi, claiming that she and her family had been removed from the voters' list.

The poll body then released a video of Ranju Devi, where she confirmed that her and her family's names were intact in the electoral roll.

On Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday countered allegations of "vote chori" or electoral fraud to win elections levelled by the Congress and vouched for the voting process in the world's largest democracy.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, CEC Kumar said the "PPT presentation" saw "wrong analysis" of voter data. He challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to submit an affidavit on his allegations within seven days or "apologise to the nation".

(With inputs from agencies)