BJP Hits Back at Congress, Alleges Voter Fraud and Raises Questions Over Sonia Gandhi’s Voter ID

In a sharp counterattack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of voter fraud—mirroring allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi just last week. The BJP claimed that opposition leaders, including Congress, won elections with the help of “infiltrator” and “bogus” voters, and raised serious questions about Sonia Gandhi’s early inclusion in India’s electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, BJP leader Anurag Thakur targeted Congress for opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar. He accused the party of engaging in “appeasement politics” and relying on a “particular group” to secure votes.

Thakur also pointed to alleged voting irregularities in key opposition-held constituencies, such as Rahul Gandhi’s seat in Raebareli, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s Kannauj. He cited issues like fake addresses, duplicate voters, and age manipulation.

Adding fuel to the fire, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya raised fresh questions about Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi’s voter registration history. In a post on social media platform X, Malviya alleged that Sonia Gandhi’s name appeared on India’s voters’ list in 1980—three years before she officially became an Indian citizen.

“Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law,” Malviya wrote, claiming this explained Rahul Gandhi’s “fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters.” He shared what he said was an extract from the 1980 electoral rolls, showing Sonia Gandhi’s name listed at serial number 388 in polling station 145 of the New Delhi constituency, where the Gandhi family then resided at 1, Safdarjung Road—the official residence of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Malviya argued this was a “clear violation” of the law, which requires Indian citizenship to be eligible to vote. He further alleged that Sonia’s name was removed from the rolls in 1982 following an outcry, only to reappear in 1983—still before her citizenship was officially granted.

So far, the Gandhis have not responded to the allegations. However, Congress MP Tariq Anwar defended Sonia Gandhi, saying the responsibility lies with the Election Commission, not her personally. “It was the Election Commission that included her,” Anwar told *NDTV*.

These allegations come in the wake of Rahul Gandhi’s August 7 press conference, where he accused the BJP and Election Commission of enabling large-scale voter fraud. Gandhi cited “one crore mystery voters” across states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, alleged destruction of CCTV footage, fake entries in voter rolls, and a lack of transparency from the ECI.

He called his claims an “atom bomb” of proof and challenged the ECI to take action. In response, the Election Commission has asked Gandhi to submit the evidence under oath. Gandhi, in turn, said the EC could simply verify the data from its own records.

The escalating war of words between the BJP and Congress over the integrity of India’s electoral system comes just months after a fiercely contested general election and as political temperatures continue to rise ahead of several key state polls.