‘We Aren’t Afraid of You’: Rahul Gandhi Hits Back at Poll Body Amid ‘Vote Theft’ Row
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday escalated his attack on the Election Commission of India, declaring “we are not afraid of you” while accusing the poll body and the BJP of orchestrating a massive electoral fraud. Addressing a large gathering in Aurangabad, Bihar, as part of his ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra, Gandhi claimed that the constitutional rights of citizens were being systematically stripped away.
“I am not afraid of the Election Commission. Tejashwi Yadav is also not afraid of the Election Commission. Bihar is not afraid, we have to fight for votes, we have to fight for the constitution,” Gandhi proclaimed, signaling a direct confrontation with the electoral body. He told the crowd that during his interactions, many people had complained that their names had been wrongfully deleted from the voter lists.
Questioning the credibility of the ECI, Gandhi referenced a recent press conference held by the commission and changes to election laws. “When you made the CCTV law, why did you change it? Do you know that no one can file a case against the Election Commission? This law was made by Modi and Amit Shah so that votes can be stolen. But we will not let votes be stolen,” he alleged.
The Congress leader also highlighted the heavy police presence and barricades at the venue, presenting it as an attempt to suppress the people’s voice. “The police put up barricades so that you could not come forward. But we reached the barricades and so did you. This is the power of Bihar,” he said to loud applause from his supporters.
Gandhi’s defiant speech came just hours after the Election Commission issued him a stern seven-day ultimatum to either submit an affidavit with evidence to support his “vote chori” allegations or issue a public apology. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made the poll body’s position clear at a press conference in New Delhi, stating, “An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country.
There is no third option.” The CEC rejected the allegations of double voting and “vote theft” as baseless, calling the remarks an “insult to the Constitution” and asserting that such terms undermine democratic institutions. The commission maintained that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is being conducted transparently with the cooperation of all stakeholders.
