'Vote chori ki chronology samajhiye': Congress 

A day after the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider Aadhaar cards as the 12th valid document for identity verification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the state's Congress unit unveiled its version of the chronology of 'vote chori (theft)'.

The press conference seeks to reinforce and carry forward from the recent 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, which drew massive crowds along its route.

At a press conference held at Delhi's Indira Bhavan, where the Bihar Congress screening committee was to meet, Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah responsible for orchestrating the "vote chori".

He asserted that the entire process of vote theft was carried out in four systematic stages.“Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have institutionalised vote theft in the country as part of a well-planned conspiracy,” Allavaru alleged.

According to the Congress, the stages are as follows:

1. Manipulating the ECI’s selection process: Narendra Modi altered the method of selecting the chief election commissioner by removing the role of the chief justice of India and instead involving the home minister directly.

2. Legal shield for election commissioners: Subsequent changes in the law ensured that no action could be taken against election commissioners, thereby removing accountability.

3. Tampering with electoral rolls: The electoral rolls were manipulated on a massive scale — a fact that has now been exposed before the nation.

4. Rigging during polling and counting: The BJP engages in systematic rigging not just during the election process but also during the counting of votes.

Allavaru pointed to PM Modi's Varanasi constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha election as the most glaring example of vote theft: “In live updates, the Congress candidate (Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai) was leading for several rounds. But as soon as the live feed stopped, Narendra Modi was declared the winner in the final count.”

He further argued that those involved in vote theft do not care about governance: “This vote thief government is completely indifferent to pressing issues such as inflation, unemployment, poor education, failing healthcare, mass migration, rising crime, and exam paper leaks.”

Asked whether the Congress would make vote theft the central plank of their Bihar election campaign, Allavaru responded: “Vote chori is the root cause of every problem the people face. To change Bihar’s fate, the government must be changed.”

Echoing this, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram added: “Vote theft doesn’t just mean stealing ballots. It is the theft of rights, reservations, employment, education, democracy, and the future of our youth.”

CLP leader Shakeel Akhtar observed: “Through the recent Voter Adhikar Yatra, the public has become more aware of their rights. The slogan emerging from this yatra — ‘vote chor, gaddi chhor (step down, vote thief)' — has now spread across the country.”

According to Bihar watchers, the Voter Adhikar Yatra, launched by INDIA bloc leaders in Bihar ahead of the crucial state elections, proved to be a significant morale booster for the party cadre and supporters.

The 16 day mass outreach campaign, led by Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and Dipankar Bhattacharya, focused on engaging directly with the common people, highlighting key issues such as SIR, unemployment, farmers’ distress, and the erosion of democratic rights under the state's JD(U)-led NDA government.

Emphasising the slogan of 'vote chor, gaddi chhor', the yatra reinvigorated the 140-year-old party’s grassroots network and rekindled hope among voters disillusioned by the current regime’s failures, believe many.

The yatra not only revived the Congress’ organisational strength in Bihar but also projected it as a people-centric alternative, countering the BJP’s narrative. The yatra has, as per Bihar watchers, created a renewed sense of purpose among workers, volunteers, and local leaders, encouraging them to take active part in the campaign against SIR.