If ‘Vote Chori’ Is True, How Did Congress Get Its Highest Vote Share in 35 Years? BJP Hits Back

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday launched a sharp counter-offensive against the Congress party’s ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) allegations, armed with a seemingly contradictory piece of data: the Congress alliance’s vote share in the 2024 elections was its highest in 35 years. BJP leaders questioned how such a result would be possible if votes were indeed being stolen.

The war of words was kicked off by BJP’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya. “Congress cries ‘vote chori’, but the fact is that the Congress+ vote share in 2024 is the highest in the last 35 years. Looks like no one told Rahul Gandhi,” he tweeted, directly challenging the foundation of the Congress’s claims. BJP National Spokesperson C.R. Kesavan echoed this sentiment, accusing Rahul Gandhi of being on a “witch hunt tarnishing Constitutional institutions” and questioning how the Congress’s vote share could increase amidst such alleged manipulation.

The controversy stems from recent allegations by Rahul Gandhi, who, citing Election Commission data, claimed large-scale irregularities in the 2024 Lok Sabha voter rolls, including duplicate names and the deletion of opposition supporters. He accused the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling BJP in this “vote chori.”

Another BJP leader, Pradeep Bhandari, presented specific figures to debunk the claim. “If ‘vote chori’ has happened, how has the Congress and its allies’ vote share increased from 39% to 41% since 1989?” he asked, labelling Rahul Gandhi a “serial liar.”

The Congress, for its part, has been steadfast in its accusations, pointing to specific instances in states like Karnataka, where it alleges over one lakh “fake votes” were added in the Mahadevapura constituency to ensure a BJP victory. The party is currently undertaking a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar to raise public awareness about the issue.

The Election Commission has strongly refuted the allegations, describing them as “misleading” and “baseless.” It has demanded that Rahul Gandhi submit a sworn affidavit with documentary proof to back up his claims, warning that they would otherwise be considered invalid. The poll body has consistently maintained that its process for preparing electoral rolls is transparent and involves political parties at every step.