Rahul Gandhi alleges ‘vote chori’, vows fight at Goa rally

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi renewed his allegations of “vote chori”, or vote theft, while addressing party workers in Margao, South Goa, on October 18. According to The Economic Times, the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining the Constitution, and pledged to pursue accountability.

Gandhi spoke during the Congress’s Goy Rakhon Yatra after walking about two kilometres with party leaders and workers. He presented the party’s campaign as a defence of constitutional principles and said Congress would not accept the alleged electoral wrongdoing.

The accusations are Gandhi’s claims, not established findings. The report does not present records substantiating the alleged vote theft or coordination among the three officials. It notes that the BJP has disputed the Opposition’s claims, but does not include individual responses to Gandhi’s latest remarks.

Gandhi invokes defamation cases

Gandhi alleged that Kumar was carrying out electoral wrongdoing with Shah’s operational involvement and Modi’s direction. He said all three would eventually face accountability.

He also said he was facing more than 45 defamation cases, attributing some to Modi and Shah, and questioned why no case had been brought specifically over his vote-theft accusations. He argued that such a case could open a broader legal examination that would implicate those he accused.

That explanation was Gandhi’s interpretation of his opponents’ motives. The account does not establish who filed each defamation case or substantiate his explanation for the absence of a legal challenge specifically concerning these allegations.

Electoral-roll dispute forms the backdrop

The remarks came amid a continuing confrontation between the Congress-led Opposition and the Election Commission over alleged electoral irregularities and changes to voter lists.

Earlier in October, INDIA bloc leaders, including Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, met President Droupadi Murmu and sought action against Kumar. Gandhi subsequently said the President had asked for evidence supporting the allegations.

The Opposition has also demanded Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The BJP has rejected the Opposition’s claims.

Criticism of Goa governance and student treatment

Turning to state politics, Gandhi alleged pervasive corruption in Goa and suggested it could be the country’s most corrupt state. No comparative evidence supporting that assessment is presented in the report.

He also criticised the state of education and alleged that pellet guns were being used against student protesters. The account does not identify the protest, location or date to which he was referring.