Rahul Gandhi misleading voters with ‘vote chori’ campaign, alleges BJP’s Shashidhar Reddy

Hyderabad, Aug 31 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy on Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of attempting to mislead voters through the 'vote chori' campaign, calling it a "calculated attempt" to create "distrust in democratic processes." Reddy, former Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and head of the Telangana BJP's Election Commission Affairs Committee, described the campaign as "manufactured hysteria." He criticised Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders for launching the 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar while "ignoring the procedural safeguards" available during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has taken up the SIR in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections to ensure accurate and fair polls through voter validation.

In a statement, Reddy pointed out that the electoral roll published in January 2025 listed 7.89 crore voters across 77,895 polling stations in Bihar. However, the draft roll after the SIR reflected 7.24 crore voters, indicating deletions of approximately 65 lakh names.

"Of the 65 lakh deletions, around 22 lakh were marked as deceased. Critics have questioned how so many people could have died in just seven months. But such numbers often accumulate over time due to delays in updating records," Reddy claimed.

He explained that the SIR is intended "to correct and update the voter lists." The deletions, he added, included about 7 lakh duplicate entries and nearly 35 lakh voters who had either permanently migrated or were found untraceable.

"Failure to remove such names can lead to impersonation and bogus voting. Ensuring accuracy in voter rolls is critical to holding free and fair elections," he claimed.

Reddy also noted that the Election Commission had made adequate provisions for addressing voter grievances.

He said claims and objections to the voter list can be filed until September 1, adding that party Booth Level Agents (BLAs) can easily verify the average 84 deletions per booth.

"The SIR process was extensively publicised, including through SMS, and parties were allowed to submit claims and objections with the required declarations," he said.

Slamming the Congress and the INDIA bloc, Reddy alleged, "Instead of utilising these procedural safeguards, Rahul Gandhi and his allies are continuing with their propaganda through the 'Vote Adhikar Yatra'." The yatra has covered a distance of more than 1,000 km across 25 districts in the last couple of weeks.

"This campaign by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is a deliberate attempt to mislead voters, foment distrust, and embolden forces seeking to undermine India’s democratic institutions. It deserves unequivocal condemnation," he claimed.

Reddy further accused Rahul Gandhi "of stoking fear" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by alleging that the "BJP would amend the Constitution and scrap reservations." He recalled that Rahul Gandhi had also previously raised concerns about alleged EVM manipulation—claims which were later rejected by alliance leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. PTI SSK