Brig (retd) GB Reddi
At what point does political rhetoric cross into willful subversion of democracy? That is the question the Election Commission of India (ECI) can no longer afford to avoid when it comes to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. His relentless accusations of “vote chori” (electoral theft), repeatedly branded as lies by the ECI itself, have gone far beyond the pale of free speech. They now strike at the heart of India’s democratic institutions, embolden hostile narratives abroad, and raise the urgent case for his disqualification under existing laws.
From Karnataka to Maharashtra and now Bihar, Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the ECI of manipulating results through alleged misuse of electoral software such as the State Information Repository (SIR). Each time, the ECI has publicly rebutted these charges as baseless. Yet Gandhi doubles down, repeating the claims as if they were gospel truth.
The Karnataka case is particularly telling: the ECI categorically dismissed his allegations of electoral fraud, exposing them as fabricated. Still, the Leader of the Opposition weaponizes the same claim, projecting it internationally with the help of his party’s overseas chairman, Sam Pitroda. Pitroda, echoing Gandhi’s script, presented these falsehoods in the United States as if India were on the brink of democratic collapse—timed, conveniently, with Prime Minister Modi’s birthday. This is no coincidence; it is part of a sustained campaign to undermine the credibility of India’s elections, a campaign with dangerous global echoes.
But here lies the height of irony. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor his allies—RJD, SP, and others—ever acknowledge how elections were actually rigged during Congress’s own heyday. From the 1950s until the early 1990s, before EVMs replaced paper ballots, booth capturing was rampant. The phrase itself—“booth capturing”—was born in Bihar in 1957, when armed men stormed polling stations to stuff ballot boxes. Through the 1970s and 1980s, states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Andhra Pradesh became infamous for this Congress-engineered malpractice. Musclemen seized booths, polling officials were intimidated, and hundreds of ballots were stamped in bulk to “win” seats.
Can Rahul Gandhi’s party deny that it was Congress that perfected this art of vote robbery? Can the RJD or SP deny their cadres’ notorious role in turning elections into war zones, where ordinary voters were silenced by hired goons? If this was not “vote chori by their goondas,” then what else was it?
Congress also manipulated the system from the top. It handpicked pliant Election Commissioners, ensured they danced to its tune, and later rewarded them with gubernatorial postings. This is a historical record. Yet today, the same party has the gall to question the neutrality of the ECI. Their “vote chori” narrative is not about safeguarding democracy; it is about refusing to accept the people’s mandate, to fight and defeat a popular leader commanding the trust of 1.4 billion Indians.
India’s legal framework does not grant politicians immunity for deliberate lies. The Representation of the People Act, 1951, lays down clear provisions for disqualification:
- Section 8 disqualifies a candidate upon conviction for offenses involving corruption, moral turpitude, or promoting enmity.
- Section 123 defines “corrupt practices,” including spreading false statements about elections or candidates, which strike at the integrity of the process.
- Section 10A empowers the disqualification for failure to maintain lawful conduct in connection with elections.
When the Leader of the Opposition—holding constitutional stature—repeatedly makes false claims that the ECI itself debunks, he arguably violates both the spirit and the letter of these laws. The ECI cannot be reduced to a helpless referee constantly issuing clarifications. It must act.
Rahul Gandhi’s personal record only strengthens the case:
- Defamation: Convicted in 2023 for his “Modi surname” remark (later stayed), already once disqualified under Section 8.
- National Herald Scam: Accused in the Enforcement Directorate probe for siphoning funds.
- Citizenship Question: Legal proceedings challenge his alleged dual UK citizenship—a potential disqualification under the Constitution.
- Multiple Cases: From defaming the RSS to a BJP leader, he faces cases across courts and is out on bail in several.
This is not the profile of a responsible Leader of Opposition—it is the record of a repeat offender.
Worse, his propaganda dovetails with foreign agendas. In Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, similar Western-backed campaigns destabilized governments. Gandhi’s attacks, echoed abroad by Pitroda and recycled by Western think tanks, paint Indian democracy as fraudulent. That is not dissent—it is sabotage.
If Congress and its allies cannot defeat Modi electorally, they are free to reorganize and campaign harder. What they cannot do is delegitimize India’s election system—the very foundation of democracy. Gandhi’s narrative is not just a lie; it corrodes public trust.
The ECI must rise above issuing press notes. It must invoke the Representation of the People Act and initiate disqualification proceedings. Anything less will further embolden anarchy.
India deserves a responsible Opposition, not one led by a man on bail who recycles his party’s own legacy of booth capturing into today’s foreign-scripted propaganda. Disqualification is not just justified—it is overdue.
