‘Vote Chori’ Twist: Haryana Woman Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi’s Claim!

Gandhi Alleged Over Five Lakh Duplicate Voter Entries, Including Instances Where a Brazilian Model’s Image Appeared Under Multiple Names

A Haryana woman named by Rahul Gandhi in his “vote chori” remarks has strongly denied the allegation, saying she had no involvement in any irregularities. The statement has added a new twist to the ongoing election controversy.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that around 25 lakh “fake votes” were cast in Haryana’s Assembly election, which is about 12% of the state’s electorate. 

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations

Rahul Gandhi has alleged that hundreds of voters, particularly from Dalit, backward class, and minority communities, have been removed from the electoral rolls in Bihar’s Jamui district without notice. 

Calling it a “heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy," Gandhi said the disenfranchisement amounted to “vote theft."

In a post on X, the Congress leader wrote, “Today, I introduced the world to some people from Dharampur village in Jamui district of Bihar. What’s happening to them is the most heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy. Despite submitting forms and necessary documents, the names of many villagers were removed from the voter list without any notice or reason."

Citing individual cases, Gandhi said, “Dilip Yadav, a differently-abled citizen who struggles even to move around, his name was struck off along with his entire family, marked as ‘absent.’ Sunita Devi, Bunty Kumar, Qayam Ansari, all their stories are the same: no hearing, no action."

Accusing the BJP-led NDA of voter list manipulation, Gandhi claimed, “Hundreds of people have been pushed out of democracy because they are Dalits, backward classes, or minorities. Because they probably won’t vote for the BJP and its NDA allies. This is the real vote theft, erasing people’s voices, rights, and very presence."

He claimed his team had found over five lakh duplicate voter entries, including instances where a Brazilian model’s image appeared under multiple names such as “Seema,” “Sweety,” and “Saraswati,” allegedly used to cast ballots 22 times.

The Vote Chori Drama

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged widespread voter fraud in Haryana, including claims that a Brazilian model’s photo appeared multiple times on voter IDs, news agencies tracked down one of the women whose voter cards were displayed during the controversy. 

The woman named Pinky Juginder Kaushik from Haryana dismissed the allegations as “baseless”, explaining that the confusion stemmed from a misprint on her voter ID.

“Yes, I went to cast my vote myself at the village school," Pinky said. “The names are the same, but there was a mistake with the photo. They used someone else’s picture. Nevertheless, I did vote. No one pressured me to vote. I showed my slip and then cast my vote."

Pinky clarified that despite the incorrect photograph, she personally exercised her right to vote using her voter slip. Her statement contradicts Rahul Gandhi’s claim that fake identities were used to cast multiple votes.

Pinky’s brother-in-law also dismissed the vote chori allegations as “propaganda,” insisting she had personally voted and that “the mistake wasn’t from our side.”

The voter card of another woman named Munish Devi was allegedly linked to the same model’s photo.

The brother-in-law of Munish Devi said, “I got a call from the election office today; they asked me to send Munish’s voter card, and I have sent it,” he said. “I brought my mother and sister-in-law to cast their votes together. She cast her own vote in 2024. There’s no vote chori.”

When asked if the family had sold their vote, he replied firmly, “There’s nothing like that. Even the agents know we came to cast our own votes. This problem had happened once before, Munish’s photo was swapped incorrectly, showing another woman from our village. She was stopped from voting at first, but when we showed her voter card, they allowed her. The error is from the data operators, not us.”

In both Pinky's and Munish’s cases, it was observed that their voter IDs had earlier carried photo misprints, featuring pictures of other women from the same village.

The Election Commission has dismissed Gandhi’s claims, saying no appeals had been filed against the state’s electoral rolls. It also pointed out that only 22 election petitions are currently pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.