Rahul Gandhi alleges ‘vote chori’ in Bihar; blames CEC, two commissioners

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 6 November, launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of abetting what he called the “murder of democracy” in Bihar. Citing “emerging reports” from across the state, Rahul Gandhi claimed that evidence of vote chori — vote theft — was “mounting by the hour”, and that the very custodians of the Constitution had become its betrayers.

“The main culprits in this murder of democracy,” Rahul Gandhi declared, “are the chief election commissioner and the two election commissioners—Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, and Vivek Joshi — who are committing the biggest treachery against the Constitution.”

In a fiery post on X, written in Hindi and addressed pointedly to India’s young and Gen Z voters, the former Congress president said he had already “demonstrated with evidence” how the government in Haryana was “stolen through vote chori,” robbing an entire state of its public mandate. “Now,” he said, “news and videos emerging from every corner of Bihar are further strengthening this evidence.”

Rahul Gandhi alleged that lakhs of voters had already been struck off the rolls and that citizens were being physically prevented from casting their ballots at polling stations. “Those entrusted to safeguard your right to vote,” he said, “have become partners in stealing your future.”

The Congress leader’s broadside came as his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, echoed similar concerns on the campaign trail. Addressing packed rallies in Sitamarhi, East Champaran, and Madhubani, she accused the ruling NDA and the Election Commission of “colluding to weaken the Constitution and democratic rights”. “Just as they stole the election in Haryana,” she said, “they are preparing to do the same in Bihar by deleting 65 lakh names from the voter list.”

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks followed a press conference a day earlier, where he alleged that the Haryana Assembly polls had been “stolen” through large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls — claiming that 25 lakh entries were fake and that the EC had “colluded” with the BJP to secure its victory.

With Bihar witnessing a record turnout of nearly 65 per cent in the first phase of polling, Gandhi’s allegations have cast a charged shadow over the state’s high-stakes contest. The second and final phase of voting will take place on 11 November, with the counting of votes for the 243-member assembly scheduled for 14 November.

With PTI inputs