Rahul Gandhi Intensifies ‘Vote Chori’ Battle, Launches Bihar Yatra Against Electoral Malpractices

Mumbai: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sharpened his attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of shielding large-scale irregularities in the voter lists. In a dramatic move, Gandhi shared a spoof video inspired by the Bollywood film Laapataa Ladies, which he said highlighted how people’s democratic rights were being “stolen in broad daylight.”

The video depicts a man walking into a police station to report a theft. When asked by the officer what had been stolen, the man replies: “Mera vote” (my vote). Startled, the officer asks how a vote can be stolen, to which the man responds: “Lakhs of votes are being stolen through fake votes.” The clip concludes with a hard-hitting message on screen: “Stealing someone’s vote is stealing their right.”

Posting the video on X, Gandhi wrote, “Secretly, stealthily… No more now, the public has awakened.”

The Election Commission responded sharply, accusing Gandhi of making sweeping allegations without evidence. In its statement, the poll body said, “If anyone has proof of any person voting twice in any election, it should be shared with the ECI through a written affidavit, rather than colouring all electors of India as ‘chor’ without any basis.”

The clash between Gandhi and the EC has escalated in recent weeks. On August 7, the Congress leader held a marathon press conference where he claimed the EC was enabling “malpractices” in the electoral process to benefit the BJP. He cited data and alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls, particularly in Bihar, where a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is underway.

The INDIA bloc has rallied behind Gandhi’s charge, staging a protest march from Parliament to the EC headquarters in Delhi earlier this week.

Taking his campaign to the ground, Gandhi announced a statewide mobilisation drive in Bihar — the “Voter Adhikar Yatra” — which will begin on August 17. In a fiery social media post, he declared, “This is not just an election issue — it is a decisive battle to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the principle of one man, one vote. From the soil of Bihar, we are launching a direct fight against vote theft. This time, the defeat of vote thieves will mean the victory of the people and the Constitution.”