‘Vote chori proof’: Congress launches portal to back Rahul Gandhi's call for electoral transparency

New Delhi: Stepping up its offensive over allegations of electoral manipulation, the Congress has launched a dedicated web portal—votechori.in/ecdemand—where citizens can register their support for Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s demand for greater transparency in the electoral process. The move follows Gandhi’s explosive claims of large-scale poll rigging and collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission.

A call for accountability and transparency

Through the portal, the Congress is inviting citizens to demand accountability from the Election Commission over what it describes as “vote chori” (vote theft), and to back Gandhi’s demand for publicly accessible, digital voter rolls.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi said, "Vote theft is an attack on the basic democratic principle of 'one person, one vote'," adding that a clean and verifiable voter list was essential for free and fair elections.

"Our demand from the Election Commission is clear – show transparency and make the digital voter list public, so that the public and political parties can audit it themselves," he said.

He urged citizens to show their support by registering on the portal, declaring that, "This is a fight to protect democracy."

Portal allows reports of alleged vote theft

The portal allows users to download what it calls “vote chori proof,” demand Election Commission accountability, and report incidents of alleged vote theft. It features a video message from Rahul Gandhi in which he reiterates his claims of a “huge criminal fraud” in the electoral process, allegedly involving collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission.

The portal cites an analysis of a constituency in Karnataka, which Gandhi claims shows evidence of fake voter entries. “It was a crime against the Constitution,” he asserts in the video.

A message on the portal further alleges: "The vote is the foundation of our democracy, but it's under systematic attack by the BJP, with the Election Commission complicit."

It adds: "In just one assembly segment of Bangalore Central, we found over 1 lakh fake voters that helped the BJP win this Lok Sabha seat. Imagine this happening in 70–100 seats – it would destroy free elections."

Users to receive certificate of support

Upon registering, users receive a digital certificate bearing the signatures of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary K C Venugopal, and treasurer Ajay Maken. The certificate reads: “I stand against vote chori. I support Rahul Gandhi's demand of digital voter rolls from the EC.”

People can also register by calling a designated number and filling out a link sent via SMS.

Several Congress leaders and supporters have already registered and shared their certificates across social media platforms, adding momentum to the campaign.

EC presses for signed declaration from Gandhi

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has responded strongly to Gandhi’s repeated allegations. On Saturday, EC officials once again pressed the Congress leader to either submit a signed declaration to support his claims or apologise to the public for making what they termed “fake” accusations.

This latest exchange comes a day after a public war of words between Gandhi and the poll authority, following his accusations of vote manipulation in at least three states.

The Commission maintains that it has found no evidence to support the claims and continues to demand formal substantiation from the Leader of the Opposition.

PTI