'Will Rahul call Pawan Khera a ‘vote chor’? BJP escalates attack over dual voter ID claim

Pradeep Bhandari

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday intensified its attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging electoral malpractice by the party’s media head, Pawan Khera.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that Khera holds two EPIC numbers (voter ID card numbers), which he said is a clear violation of election laws.

“We want to ask five questions to Rahul Gandhi,” Bhandari said at a press briefing. “Was he aware of the multiple EPIC IDs of Pawan Khera? Will he call Pawan Khera a vote chor? Will he admit that the Gandhi-Vadra family is against SIR to protect their vote fraud? They promote infiltration. How was Sonia Gandhi’s name in the electoral roll when, in 1980, she was not a citizen of India? Will he accept that Congress itself is involved in vote chori? Rahul Gandhi and other leaders involved in this vote fraud should apologise to the nation.”

Bhandari alleged that Rahul Gandhi has been “calling common citizens fake and thieves” during his recent campaigns, but his own party faces serious charges of vote manipulation. “The media head of Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, Pawan Khera, has two EPIC numbers. Rahul Gandhi's close aide is involved in vote rigging,” he said.

Quoting the law, Bhandari said, “The Representation of the People Act 1951, Section 62, subclause 2, states that no person can vote in more than one assembly constituency.” He then asked, “Now I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, will he accept that the real ‘chor’ is Pawan Khera?”

The BJP leader also demanded an explanation from the Congress leadership and action against those responsible for what he called “vote fraud.”

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya alleged that Khera holds two active EPIC numbers (in Jangpura and New Delhi Assembly Constituencies, falling under East Delhi and New Delhi Lok Sabha seats, respectively).

“Rahul Gandhi screamed “Vote Chori” from the rooftops. But just like he forgot to mention that his mother, Sonia Gandhi, enlisted herself in India’s voter list even before becoming an Indian citizen, it has now emerged that Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson—who never misses a chance to flaunt his proximity to the Gandhis, holds two active EPIC numbers,” Malviya posted on X.