‘Vote theft a blow to democracy’: Rahul Gandhi alleges electoral roll tampering in Bihar’s Jamui

New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has accused authorities of deleting the names of hundreds of voters from Bihar’s Jamui district without prior notice—mostly from Dalit, backward and minority communities. He described the alleged voter list manipulation as a “heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy”.

Sharing his concern on X, Gandhi wrote, “Today, I introduced the world to some people from Dharampur village in Jamui district of Bihar—what's happening to them is the most heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy. Despite submitting forms and necessary documents, the names of many villagers were removed from the voter list without any notice or reason.”
 

This follows his earlier claims of “large-scale voter fraud” during the 2024 Haryana assembly elections, which he raised in a recent press conference in New Delhi.

Gandhi cited the example of Dilip Yadav, a differently-abled resident, saying, “Dilip Yadav, a differently-abled citizen who struggles even to move around—his name was struck off along with his entire family, marked as 'absent’. Sunita Devi, Bunty Kumar, Qayam Ansari—all their stories are the same: no hearing, no action.”

Alleging that voter lists were deliberately manipulated, Gandhi claimed that “hundreds were pushed out” because they were unlikely to vote for the BJP-led NDA.

“Many old names were forcibly erased, and the names of many first-time young voters weren't even added—hundreds of people have been pushed out of democracy. Because they are Dalits, backward classes or minorities. Because they probably won't vote for the BJP and its NDA allies,” he said.

Calling the act “vote theft”, the Congress leader stated, “This is the real vote theft—erasing people's voices, rights, and very presence. And this isn't just Dharampur; it's become the story of every village in Bihar.”

He vowed to continue the fight, emphasising that the constitutional right to vote must be protected. “But this fight won't stop. The greatest right given by the Constitution, democracy's greatest weapon—one person, one vote—will continue to be defended in this ongoing struggle,” he asserted.

Addressing young voters, Gandhi urged Gen Z and India’s youth to safeguard democracy, claiming that a plan was executed to transform an expected Congress victory into defeat in Haryana. “I want the young people of India, Gen Z, to understand this clearly. Because this is about your future. Your future is being destroyed. So it's important that you listen and you watch... We are pretty sure that a plan was put in motion to convert Congress' landslide victory (in Haryana) into a loss,” he added.

ANI