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EYE ON INDIA SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 | The Indian Eye 8
Rahul Gandhi’s “Vote Theft” Gambit:
A High-Stakes Strategy to Reframe
Indian Politics
The Congress leader’s allegations against the Election Commission are part of a calculated
attempt to shift the political battlefield from electoral defeat to the legitimacy of the system itself.
OUR BUREAU and enforcement agencies. On the
other hand, absent concrete proof,
New Delhi
such allegations risk being dismissed
ongress leader Rahul Gand- as excuses for repeated losses. Mid-
hi’s latest salvo against the dle-ground voters, who value stabil-
CElection Commission of India ity, may see the Congress’s narrative
(ECI) has reignited a stormy political as a refusal to accept democratic ver-
debate. By accusing the poll body of dicts.
shielding those behind “mass voter Moreover, if Gandhi fails to
deletions” and promising to unveil substantiate his claims with hard
“black and white proof” of manipula- evidence—detailed data, legal chal-
tion, Gandhi has deliberately escalat- lenges, or whistleblower testimony—
ed the stakes in the contest between the BJP will brand him as a habitu-
the Opposition and the ruling Bhara- al alarmist. The metaphor Thakur
tiya Janata Party (BJP). His choice of used—comparing Gandhi’s “hydro-
words—“vote theft” and “destroyed gen bomb” promises to “firecrack-
democracy”—was not accidental. It ers”—captures the risk: overprom-
was part of a broader strategy to chal- ising and underdelivering could turn
lenge the credibility of India’s elector- Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi adresses a press conference at the Congress the narrative into self-sabotage.
al process and to portray himself as Yet Gandhi’s move must also be
the custodian of democracy. Party Headquarter, in New Delhi on Thursday (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh) seen in the broader arc of his poli-
At his press conference in New tics. Over the past three years, his
Delhi, Gandhi cited the case of Kar- president Mallikarjun Kharge and dismissed Gandhi’s charges as the rhetoric has increasingly centered
nataka’s Aland constituency, where Priyanka Gandhi threw their weight “politics of allegations,” mocking on safeguarding institutions, protect-
he claimed over 6,000 votes were behind him, calling the issue “a fight the Congress leader for repeatedly ing the Constitution, and warning of
targeted for deletion. By highlight- for democracy and the Constitution.” backtracking after failing to produce democratic backsliding. The “vote
ing a specific instance, he sought to The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while evidence. Telangana BJP chief N theft” allegations are consistent with
ground his allegation in verifiable de- backing the seriousness of the charge, Ramchander Rao went further, call- this positioning. Gandhi is not mere-
tail, lending weight to a charge often accused the Congress of opportun- ing the press conference “a big joke” ly contesting electoral outcomes; he
dismissed as rhetoric. Importantly, he ism, reminding that AAP had flagged and branding Gandhi a “joker.” Shiv is contesting the legitimacy of the
linked the episode to a larger pattern, similar discrepancies in Delhi earlier Sena’s Shaina NC derided him as a framework within which those out-
arguing that “methods by which votes this year without receiving Congress’s “flop professor” engaged in theat- comes occur.
are added and deleted” exist across support. rics, while Rajya Sabha MP Manan Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of
constituencies. This tension underlines both the Kumar Mishra accused him of fabri- “vote theft” are not merely a reac-
The political calculation is clear. strength and fragility of the INDIA cating claims without proof. tion to electoral defeat but a strategic
After a series of electoral setbacks, bloc. On one hand, allegations of vot- The BJP’s counter-strategy is pivot. They aim to energize Congress
Congress cannot afford to appear er manipulation provide a unifying as calculated as Gandhi’s offensive: workers, unify the Opposition, and
permanently defeated. By shifting fo- theme for Opposition parties battling to frame him as irresponsible, ha- cast the BJP as an illegitimate ruler
cus from outcomes to process, Gand- an entrenched BJP. On the other, bitually wrong, and even dangerous of a manipulated democracy. But
hi is reframing the narrative: the Gandhi’s leadership and Congress’s to democratic faith. By portraying the gamble comes with risks: without
BJP’s victories, he implies, are not timing often invite skepticism about Gandhi as undermining the very in- evidence, it may reinforce Gandhi’s
purely the product of popular man- whether the party is motivated by stitutions he claims to defend, the critics rather than silence them.
date but of manipulation. This keeps genuine democratic concern or elec- ruling party seeks to turn his narra- In India’s charged political cli-
the Congress base engaged, prevents toral expediency. tive on its head. mate, where perception often out-
organizational demoralization, and For Gandhi, the allegations weighs proof, Gandhi’s gambit may
gives the party a rallying cry ahead of THE BJP’S COUNTERATTACK are a double-edged sword. On one yet succeed in shaping the national
upcoming state contests. hand, they resonate with a public debate. Whether it strengthens his
Interestingly, Gandhi’s allega- he ruling party and its allies already anxious about institutional credibility or further erodes it will
tions drew mixed responses from were quick to hit back. Union neutrality, especially given frequent depend on his ability to back rhetoric
other Opposition parties. Congress TMinister Anurag Thakur debates about the ECI, judiciary, with substance.
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