Congress leader claims one in eight voters in Haryana were fake, accuses BJP of large-scale electoral fraud

New Delhi, November 5, 2025 (Wednesday) —
At a press conference held at the headquarters of the Indian National Congress in New Delhi, senior leader Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of orchestrating widespread electoral manipulation in the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election. He alleged that 25 lakh (2.5 million) votes were effectively “stolen” or manipulated — including 5.21 lakh duplicate entries, 93,174 invalid voters, and 19.26 lakh bulk-voters. He further claimed that “one in eight” of the voters listed in Haryana were fake.

Allegations in Detail

Gandhi characterised the operation as a “centralised fraud” involving fake or duplicate voter registrations, bulk entries at single addresses, and systematic failings by the Election Commission of India (EC). He said the 5.21 lakh duplicates could have been removed “in two minutes” using current artificial-intelligence tools, implying that the EC’s inaction indicated complicity.

He also provided what he called proof of misuse: for example, he alleged the same photograph of a Brazilian model appeared 22 times in the electoral rolls under different names — “Seema”, “Sweety”, “Saraswati” — across various constituencies in Haryana.

Political Context and Implications

The accusations arrived just ahead of the Bihar state election, signalling a sharp escalation in the Congress’s campaign to discredit the BJP’s electoral legitimacy. Gandhi invoked the youth vote, saying: “Gen-Z must take this seriously, because your future is being taken away.”

The BJP responded by rejecting the claims, describing them as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence. The EC has also indicated that allegations of this magnitude require formal complaints and documentation, and that unverified public claims risk undermining institutional trust.

Stakes for Democracy and Election Integrity

The heart of the matter extends beyond Haryana: this feeds into broader concerns about the sanctity of India’s electoral rolls, the efficiency of duplication removal, and the alleged biases of the EC. Gandhi framed his case as one of “vote chori” (vote theft), arguing that large-scale manipulation of voter lists could tilt outcomes in key states.

If even part of his claim is validated, it raises red flags about the fairness of electoral processes in a country of India’s democratic size. On the other hand, if unverified and politically amplified, this could contribute to public cynicism about elections and institutions.

What Happens Next

Gandhi has demanded that the EC publish machine-readable voter lists, make data transparent, and allow independent audits of the flagged registrations. The EC has said that to act upon such allegations, a formal affidavit or complaint is required.

Meanwhile, the Congress appears set to make these allegations a key plank in its upcoming election strategy, mobilising public opinion around the idea of electoral injustice.

The BJP, conversely, will need to defend the legitimacy of its win in Haryana — if these allegations gain traction, they could subject the 2024 Haryana results to legal, political, and reputational scrutiny.

The narrative of the election — either as a fair democratic process or one marred by large-scale manipulation — is now firmly in the public sphere.

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