Did Sonia Gandhi vote before acquiring Indian citizenship? BJP alleges ‘institutionalised theft’

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has levelled serious allegations against former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, claiming that her name was included in India’s electoral rolls before she had acquired Indian citizenship. The allegations come amidst growing opposition criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar.

Malviya accuses Sonia Gandhi of electoral violations

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, stated in a detailed post on X that Sonia Gandhi’s name first appeared on the electoral rolls in 1980 — three years before she officially became an Indian citizen. Citing Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which disqualifies non-citizens from being registered as voters, Malviya argued that this inclusion amounted to a “clear violation of the law”.

"Her name first appeared on the rolls in 1980 — three years before she became an Indian citizen and while she still held Italian citizenship. At the time, the Gandhi family lived at 1, Safdarjung Road, the official residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Until then, the voters registered at that address were Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi," Malviya wrote.

He added that during the 1980 revision of the New Delhi parliamentary constituency's rolls, with January 1, 1980 as the qualifying date, Sonia Gandhi’s name appeared at serial number 388 in polling station 145. According to him, this was in clear breach of the citizenship requirement.

Following public backlash, Sonia Gandhi’s name was reportedly removed from the rolls in 1982, but reinstated in 1983 — again, before she was granted Indian citizenship on April 30 of that year. Malviya claimed that during a fresh revision of the rolls in 1983, her name was listed at serial number 236 in polling station 140, even though the qualifying date for inclusion was January 1, 1983.

“In other words, Sonia Gandhi’s name entered the electoral rolls twice without meeting the basic citizenship requirement — first as an Italian citizen in 1980, and then again in 1983, months before she legally became a citizen of India,” Malviya alleged. “We are not even asking why it took her 15 years after marrying Rajiv Gandhi to accept Indian citizenship. If this isn’t blatant electoral malpractice, what is?"

He called the alleged inclusion an “institutionalised theft” and connected the Congress’s criticism of the SIR process to what he described as the party’s historical leniency towards “ineligible and illegal voters”.

Congress criticises SIR 

These allegations surface as Opposition parties, including the Congress, continue to criticise the Election Commission over the SIR exercise in Bihar. On August 13, several Opposition MPs protested in Parliament wearing T-shirts referencing "124-year-old voter Minta Devi", claiming her inclusion highlighted irregularities in the rolls. Minta Devi later opposed the use of her name and age for political purposes.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused the Commission of failing to uphold the principle of “One Man, One Vote”.

Opposition leaders have argued that the SIR is being used selectively to disenfranchise legitimate voters, particularly among minorities and marginalised groups, by demanding stringent documentation that many cannot easily produce.

EC and government defend SIR

In response, both the Election Commission and the government have maintained that SIR is a routine administrative procedure necessary to maintain the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls ahead of elections.

The Congress party has yet to respond publicly to the allegations made by Malviya regarding Sonia Gandhi’s past voter registration.