'Sonia Gandhi listed as voter even as Italian citizen': BJP shows 1980 electoral rolls

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya hit out at the opposition's protest over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and alleged that former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi herself "violated" electoral law back in the 1980s.

In a detailed post on X, along with a photocopy of an extract from the electoral rolls of 1980, Malviya said that Sonia's name appeared in the voter list three years before she officially became an Indian citizen. According to the Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person who is not a citizen of India is disqualified for registration in an electoral roll.

"Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters, and his opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)," Malviya said in his post.

He pointed out how the electoral rolls of 1980 shows Sonia Gandhi listed as a voter, adding that she was not an Indian citizen at the time.

Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters, and his opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Her name first appeared… pic.twitter.com/upl1LM8Xhl

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 13, 2025

"Her name first appeared on the rolls in 1980 — three years before she became an Indian citizen and while she still held Italian citizenship. At the time, the Gandhi family lived at 1, Safdarjung Road, the official residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Until then, the voters registered at that address were Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi," he said.

Malviya added that the electoral rolls of the New Delhi parliamentary constituency were revised in 1980 and Sonia's was added to the list.

"This entry was a clear violation of the law, which requires a person to be an Indian citizen to be registered as a voter. Following an outcry in 1982, her name was deleted from the list — only to reappear in 1983," he said.

"But even her reinstatement raised serious questions. In the fresh revision of the electoral rolls that year, Sonia Gandhi was listed at serial number 236 in polling station 140. The qualifying date for registration was January 1, 1983 — yet she was granted Indian citizenship only on April 30, 1983." he added.

Malviya said that Sonia Gandhi’s name entered the electoral rolls twice without meeting the basic citizenship requirement.

"We are not even asking why it took her 15 years after marrying Rajiv Gandhi to accept Indian citizenship," he quipped, calling out the "blatant electoral malpractice".

The attack comes amid the ongoing controversy over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections.

The opposition parties, including Congress, have alleged that the SIR process is being used to unjustly remove or disenfranchise legitimate voters in the state, especially those from the marginalised communities.

The government as well as the Election Commission insists that SIR is a routine and necessary administrative activity to ensure the integrity of voter rolls.