Rahul Gandhi Vote Chori Press Conference Highlights: Rahul Gandhi kicked off the press conference on Thursday with some very strong claims against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. “I’m going to make a claim here, very strong one, about CEC Gyanesh Kumar. I’m saying this as LOP. I’m going to show proof which is black and white that CEC is protecting people who have destroyed Indian democracy,” he said. Gandhi also pointed out “mass deletions” of voters in the 2023 Karnataka Elections.
BJP, ECI hit back at Rahul Gandhi’s fresh ‘voter chori’ claims
Following Gandhi’s press conference, BJP leader Anurag Thakur slammed his remarks. He said that making baseless allegations has become a regular habit for the Congress leader, who often backs down or apologises when asked to provide proof. Thakur argued that after repeated election defeats, Gandhi’s frustration is showing. He added that Gandhi has faced court reprimands in past cases, whether it was over Rafale, Chowkidar Chor, or comments on the RSS. According to Thakur, Gandhi promised to reveal something explosive in his press conference but ended up delivering very little.
Thakur further claimed that the Congress party has turned allegation-making into its main political tool, only to retreat when challenged to prove its claims.
The Election Commission has responded to the fresh allegations saying that no deletion can be done online. “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person. In 2023, certain unsuccessful attempts were made for deletions in Aland Assembly constituency and an FIR was filed by the authority of the ECI itself to investigate the matter. As per records, Aland Assembly constituency was won by Subhadh Guttedar (BJP) in 2018 and BR Patil (INC) in 2023,” the EC statement said.
‘Gyanesh Kumar ji vote-choro ki raksha kar rahe hai’: Rahul Gandhi’s explosive claims
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday once again hit out at the Election Commission of India, accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those involved in vote theft.
- Speaking at a special press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi said he was making these allegations with full responsibility as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He claimed he had clear proof that the CEC was protecting people who had damaged Indian democracy and explained how the process was carried out.
- “I’m going to show to black and white proof that the Chief Election Commissioner of India is protecting the people who have destroyed Indian democracy. I’m also going to show you how it is done,” he said.
- According to Gandhi, for years, certain “forces” have been systematically removing millions of names from voters’ lists across India. He alleged that communities such as Dalits, minorities, OBCs and Adivasis, who largely support the opposition, were deliberately targeted.
- He stressed that he would not make any claims without solid evidence, adding that he was speaking as someone committed to protecting India, its Constitution, and its democratic system.
- Explaining how votes were deleted in a Karnataka constituency, Gandhi pointed to Aland, where at least 6,018 votes were removed in the 2023 elections. He said the actual number was likely much higher but the attempt came to light by chance. A booth-level officer had discovered that her uncle’s vote was missing. When she investigated, she found it was deleted under her neighbour’s name. However, both the neighbour and the uncle denied having any role in the process. Gandhi claimed this showed that an external force had hijacked the system to delete votes.
- When asked what possible benefit could Gyanesh Kumar be getting from doing all this, Rahul Gandhi replied saying, “Frankly, what I am doing here is not my job. My work is to take part in the democratic process, the work of protecting India’s democracy is that of the country’s institutions. But because they are not doing it, I have to. When we finish all our presentations, there will be no doubt in your minds that state after state, there has been vote chori in elections.”
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘hydrogen bomb’
A few days after Rahul Gandhi had said that he would reveal a “hydrogen bomb” of information about “vote chori,” the Congress party on Wednesday announced that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha will hold a press conference on Thursday. However, the party did not mention the specific topic he would address.
Earlier, at the final event of his Voter Adhikar Yatra on September 1, Gandhi had indicated that his party would soon reveal major information about alleged vote manipulation, suggesting it would be significant enough to embarrass the Prime Minister. Last month, Gandhi had claimed, based on data from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, that over one lakh votes were allegedly manipulated in the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka. He described this vote manipulation as a serious threat to India’s democracy.
Follow our coverage of the press conference here:
Rahul Gandhi Delhi Press Conference LIVE Updates:
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'Gen Z will save the democracy'
Asserting that the Gen Z of India will play a decisive role in safeguarding the Constitution and protecting democracy, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday pledged to stand by them in their fight against alleged "vote theft." Sharing his picture, Rahul Gandhi posted on X, "The Youth of the Country, The Students of the Country, The Gen Z of the Country Will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft. I always stand with them. Jai Hind!"
- via ANI
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Stop making excuses, says Rahul
The Congress on Thursday accused the EC of obstructing a Karnataka CID probe into alleged voter deletions by withholding crucial data. Rahul Gandhi, leading the charge, dismissed the EC’s response as “excuses” and demanded that the evidence be handed over immediately.
The EC rejected Gandhi’s claims, calling them “incorrect and baseless”. It stressed that voter deletions cannot occur without first giving affected individuals the right to be heard. The commission also defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar against Gandhi’s charge that he was shielding “vote chors”.
Gandhi cited alleged irregularities in a Karnataka constituency, warning that if the deletion of 6,018 votes had gone unchecked, the Congress candidate might have lost. He claimed that while a local EC official filed an FIR after fraud was exposed, the CID investigation stalled because the poll panel refused to release key digital evidence.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the Karnataka CID had sent 18 letters over 18 months seeking information — including IP addresses, device ports and OTP trails — but all requests had been “BLOCKED by CEC”. He urged Kumar to stop delaying and “release the evidence to the Karnataka CID, now”.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'If allegations untrue, then why complaint at all,' says Haasan
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Thursday said that the media should now look into the allegations posed by Rahul Gandhi and he will also make necessary "democratic noise" on the issue.
The Rajya Sabha MP told reporters, "...Let it be proved (that allegations are baseless)...If allegations are baseless, then why is there a complaint at all? If it's untrue, then prove it..."
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'EC stone-walled critical information'
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Election Commission "stone-walled critical information necessary to track the culprits of “mass voter deletion” in Karnataka’s Aland constituency.
In an X post, Kharge said the Karnataka CID is probing the voter deletion case in Aland constituency and added that Rahul Gandhi "has thoroughly exposed the mass vote deletion".
CID probing the Aland AC voter deletion case, wrote 18 letters to @ECISVEEP in 18 months, but ECI has stone-walled critical information necessary to track the culprits.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 18, 2025
Armed with concrete proof, Shri @RahulGandhi has thoroughly exposed the mass vote deletion in Aland Assembly… pic.twitter.com/J0tfYfKRbx
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Congress alleges misuse of Form 7 in Karnataka voter deletions
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday accused the previous BJP government of misusing Form 7 to remove voters on a large scale before the May 2023 Assembly elections. His statement came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that votes of party supporters were being deliberately deleted ahead of polls, using Karnataka as an example.
Form 7 is used to raise objections against someone’s name being on the voter list, or to request deletion of one’s own name, or to remove a name if the person has died or shifted residence. Earlier in the day, at a press conference in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those responsible for voter fraud. He cited data from the Aland Assembly seat in Karnataka to argue that Congress supporters’ votes were being targeted and systematically removed.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'They have made the politics of allegations their ornament'- BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi
"Election after election defeats and a leader who has been rejected by the public, under whose leadership the Congress party has lost nearly 90 elections, his frustration and despair is increasing day by day. They have made the politics of allegations their ornament. When the Election Commission asks them to verify the allegations they themselves have made, they turn their back and run away. When asked to file an affidavit, they back out. Making false and baseless allegations has become a habit of Rahul Gandhi," the BJP leader said.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: He wants to create Bangladesh, Nepal like situation in India,' says BJP's Anurag Thakur
BJP MP Anurag Thakur while speaking to the media slammed Rahul Gandhi for his "baseless" claims and said that he "Wants to create Bangladesh, Nepal-like situation in India".
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Election Commission responds to Rahul Gandhi's fresh allegations
"No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person. In 2023, certain unsuccessful attempts were made for deletions in Aland Assembly constituency and an FIR was filed by the authority of the ECI itself to investigate the matter. As per records, Aland Assembly constituency was won by Subhadh Guttedar (BJP) in 2018 and BR Patil (INC) in 2023,” the EC statement said.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: BJP challenges Gandhi to take the 'vote chori proof' to court
BJP's Tom Vadakkam accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading false information and asked him to stop diverting attention. He challenged the Leader of the Opposition to present his claims about vote theft in court with proper evidence.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: EC to respond to Gandhi's allegations shortly
Election Commission will respond to Rahul Gandhi's allegations shortly. Stay with us for further updates on the controversial 'voter chori' allegations by the Congress leader.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'What I'm doing here, is not my job,' says Rahul Gandhi
While taking questions from the media, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that defending democracy was not supposed to be his role, instead his responsibility was to participate in the democratic system. He argued that institutions were meant to safeguard it but had failed to do so. Gandhi said that he was showing the truth to the people and taking it upon himself to protect the Constitution, which is meant to safeguard the citizens of the country.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 'Information coming from within EC,' claims Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi also added that information on "vote chori" is not coming from within the Election Commission. "We have started getting help from within the ECI. This won't be stopped, and it can't be stopped. People of the country won't let this happen. Once people know vote chori, they won't let it happen," said Gandhi.
On the subject of voter deletion, he said that while Karnataka CID sent 18 letters to the EC, they took no action.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Rahul Gandhi urges EC to release data on phones, OTPs within a week
Rahul Gandhi also urged the Election Commission to release data on the phones and OTPs within a week, warning that if it isn’t shared, it would confirm that Kumar is protecting those harming democracy.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Rahul Gandhi claims 'mass deletion' of voters in THESE states
Gandhi claimed that there was "mass deletions" of voters in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. He time and again mentioned that the voter deletions are being done in a centralised way using software, not by individuals. He said an automated program picks the first name on each booth’s list and deletes it. The person behind it also used cell phones from outside the state to file applications. Gandhi said that this was done on a large scale, not at the level of individual party workers.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: EC protecting those who undermine democracy, says Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi claimed that the election commission is protecting those undermining democracy by not sharing details about deleted voters. He alleged that there have been mass deletions of voters in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi urged the Chief Election Commissioner to stop shielding those harming Indian democracy and called on the commission to release details of all voter deletions within a week, saying this is another instance of “vote chori.”
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Gandhi shares 'proof' of vote manipulation
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi shared what he said was proof of vote theft in Karnataka. He claimed the manipulation took place at booths where Congress was ahead and said that a fake login using the name ‘Godabai’ was used to try to delete 12 votes.
The Congress party leader further claimed that an automated program was used to make sure the first voter at each booth was the applicant. He added that this appeared to be done in a centralised manner, and the top 10 booths with the most vote deletions were all Congress strongholds.
Rahul Gandhi during the press briefing said that there is a systematic effort across India to delete the votes of millions of people. He added that certain communities, especially those likely to vote for the opposition, such as Dalits, Tribals, minorities, and OBCs, are being specifically targeted. He claimed that while they had suspected this before, they now have full proof of it.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: 6,018 votes deleted in 2023 elections, claims Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi said that in the Aland constituency in Karnataka, someone tried to delete 6,018 votes. He added that the total number of votes deleted in the 2023 election there is likely much higher, but these 6,018 votes were caught by chance. The issue was discovered when a booth-level officer noticed that her uncle’s vote had been deleted. She investigated and found that a neighbour had deleted it. When she asked the neighbour, they denied doing it. Gandhi said neither the person deleting the votes nor the voters themselves knew what happened, suggesting that some outside force had interfered and removed the votes.
Rahul Gandhi Press Conference LIVE: Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC Gyanesh Kumar of 'Vote Chori'
Rahul Gandhi kick started the conference with some very strong claims. He accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of culpable "vote chori". He said that Kumar was protecting "destroyers of democracy". He further claimed that 6000 votes were destroyed in 2023 Karnataka elections using fake logins.