Rahul Gandhi Claims Vote Theft in Haryana Election, Sparks Political Row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleges massive voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, presenting what he calls “H-Files” with claims of 25 lakh fake voters. The Election Commission and BJP have rejected his accusations, calling them baseless. Here’s what the controversy is about and why it matters for Indian democracy.

On the eve of the Bihar Assembly elections, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi dropped what he called a political bombshell. At a press conference in New Delhi on November 5, 2025, Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating large scale fraud in the Haryana Assembly elections held in October 2024.​

Gandhi claimed that approximately 25 lakh voters in Haryana were fake, representing one in every eight voters or about 12.5 percent of the state’s two crore registered voters. He alleged this manipulation converted what should have been a landslide Congress victory into a defeat, as the party lost by just 22,779 votes across eight constituencies.​

What Are the H-Files?

Rather than calling it the previously promised “hydrogen bomb” of evidence, Gandhi termed his presentation the “H-Files,” referring to the Haryana electoral data he analyzed. He categorized the alleged fake voters into three groups: 5.21 lakh duplicate voters, 93,174 voters with invalid addresses, and 19.26 lakh bulk voters.​

To illustrate his claims, Gandhi presented several striking examples. The most sensational was a photograph of a woman that appeared 22 times across 10 different polling booths under various names like Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, and Vimla. Gandhi identified this as a stock photograph of a model taken by a Brazilian photographer in 2017 and questioned what such an image was doing on Haryana voter lists.​

He also claimed that one person’s photograph appeared 223 times in two polling booths, and another individual voted 14 times. Gandhi further alleged that thousands of BJP supporters were registered to vote in both Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, including a BJP village head from Uttar Pradesh who was also listed as a Haryana voter.​

The Numbers Behind the Allegations

Gandhi presented detailed figures to support his case. He stated that 3.5 lakh voters were deleted from Haryana electoral rolls before the assembly elections, and he claimed most of them were Congress supporters. The Congress leader also pointed to unusual postal ballot patterns, noting that for the first time in Haryana’s electoral history, postal votes differed dramatically from regular votes. According to him, Congress received 73 seats worth of postal votes while BJP got only 17, yet the final results reversed this trend.​

Gandhi questioned why houses with over 10 voters, which by law should undergo ground verification, were not checked. He mentioned one house that had 500 registered voters but was found empty upon inspection. He also contested Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s explanation that house number “0” was used for homeless people, claiming his team verified such addresses and found voters who could not be traced, suggesting the purpose was to make voters untraceable after voting.​

The Leader of Opposition emphasized that Congress lost the Haryana election despite all exit polls predicting a decisive victory for the party. Multiple exit polls had forecast Congress winning between 50 and 62 seats in the 90 member assembly, but the final results showed BJP securing 48 seats against Congress’s 37.​

Election Commission Responds

The Election Commission moved swiftly to counter Gandhi’s allegations. Officials pointed out that zero appeals were filed against the electoral rolls in Haryana, and only 22 election petitions remain pending in the High Court for the state’s 90 assembly seats.​

The poll body questioned why Congress booth agents did not raise objections at polling stations if they suspected duplicate voters or electoral fraud. They asked what polling agents were doing if fake voters were casting ballots, noting that agents are supposed to object if an elector has already voted or if they doubt the identity of a voter.​

Election Commission sources also challenged Gandhi’s assumption about which party benefited from duplicate voters. They suggested that available data indicated many such votes actually went to Congress itself, contradicting Gandhi’s claims that duplicates favored BJP.​

The Commission defended the use of house number “0,” explaining it applies to areas where municipalities or panchayats have not assigned house numbers, not as a method to hide voters. Officials also questioned Gandhi’s stance on the Special Intensive Revision process, asking whether he supports or opposes the SIR, which is designed to remove duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters while verifying citizenship.​

The Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana provided additional context about the election process. Draft electoral rolls were published on August 2, 2024, and shared with all recognized political parties. During the summary revision, a total of 4,16,408 claims and objections were received, processed by 20,629 Booth Level Officers. Final electoral rolls were published on August 27, 2024, with no appeals filed. The elections were conducted across 20,632 polling stations with 1,031 candidates.​

BJP Dismisses Claims as Political Distraction

The Bharatiya Janata Party launched a strong counterattack against Gandhi’s allegations. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress leader of trying to hide his failures and divert attention from the Bihar elections.​

Rijiju questioned Gandhi’s timing, noting that Bihar polling was about to begin but Gandhi was discussing Haryana, suggesting this indicated Congress had nothing to offer Bihar voters. The minister ridiculed the Brazilian model claim, alleging that Gandhi collects ideas during his foreign trips and returns with “baseless narratives”.​

Addressing Gandhi’s appeal to young voters and Gen Z, Rijiju asked if the Congress leader was trying to provoke the youth. He asserted that the new generation stands firmly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused Gandhi of attempting to defame the country through false claims.​

The BJP also referenced internal Congress issues to counter Gandhi’s fraud allegations. Rijiju pointed to statements by senior Congress leader Kumari Selja, who had expressed doubts about the party’s chances in Haryana, and mentioned a former Congress minister who resigned saying party leaders weren’t working on the ground.​

BJP spokesperson contested a video clip Gandhi played showing Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini talking about “arrangements” before the results. The party clarified this clip was taken out of context, claiming Saini was referring to possible post election alliances, not voter fraud.​

Why This Matters for Indian Democracy

Gandhi framed his allegations as more than just a dispute over one state election. He appealed directly to India’s Gen Z and youth to understand that elections were being “stolen” and democracy was at a crossroads. He accused the Chief Election Commissioner and the two election commissioners of colluding with BJP to ensure its victory, claiming they are in partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.​

The Congress leader characterized the current Haryana government as illegitimate and suggested the same pattern of electoral manipulation occurred in other states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. He warned that similar irregularities would take place in Bihar, which was voting just hours after his press conference.​

Gandhi emphasized he was presenting his case publicly before the media using data from the Election Commission itself, noting that the Supreme Court was watching. He argued that if the voter list is corrupted and parties receive it at the last moment, no amount of booth agent training can ensure fair elections.​

The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Indian democracy. The 2024 Haryana elections marked the first time in the state’s history that a party secured victory for three consecutive terms, with BJP winning 48 seats. However, the victory defied all exit polls, which had predicted a Congress landslide, raising questions about either polling methodology or the electoral process itself.​

This is not the first time Gandhi has made such allegations. He previously held two press conferences on voter manipulation, one in August 2024 about voter additions in some constituencies in Karnataka, and another in September about what he called a massive voter deletion scam. He had promised a “hydrogen bomb” of evidence, building up to this latest presentation.​

The Election Commission has consistently rejected Gandhi’s claims and even challenged him to submit his allegations as a sworn affidavit, to which he responded that he had only used the Commission’s own data and had already taken an oath to the Constitution.​

The Path Ahead

The controversy highlights deeper tensions about electoral integrity in India. While the Election Commission maintains that its processes are robust and transparent, opposition parties have repeatedly raised concerns about Electronic Voting Machines and voter list management.​

The timing of Gandhi’s allegations, just before Bihar voting, adds a political dimension to the controversy. Bihar elections are being closely watched as a test of strength between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition INDIA bloc. Gandhi’s presentation can be seen as both an attempt to highlight systemic issues and a political strategy to energize opposition supporters ahead of crucial state polls.​

The legal and constitutional questions raised by these allegations are significant. If electoral rolls contain the level of manipulation Gandhi claims, it would represent a fundamental threat to Indian democracy. However, if the claims are baseless, as the Election Commission and BJP assert, it raises concerns about political leaders making serious allegations without adequate proof.

As India’s largest democracy prepares for more state and national elections, the dispute between Congress and the Election Commission over voter list integrity is likely to continue. The matter remains before the Supreme Court, and how the judiciary addresses these concerns may shape electoral processes for years to come. For now, Indian voters and democracy watchers are left to weigh the evidence presented by both sides and judge for themselves where the truth lies.

Conclusion

The dispute between Rahul Gandhi, the Election Commission, and the BJP has raised serious questions about the credibility of India’s elections. Gandhi’s “H-Files” allegations of large-scale voter fraud in Haryana have fueled public debate about how secure and transparent the electoral process truly is. The Election Commission and BJP have firmly denied any wrongdoing, calling his claims politically motivated. With the Supreme Court expected to review the matter, the outcome could influence how future elections are managed and trusted. Whether Gandhi’s evidence exposes real flaws or simply reflects political rivalry, the controversy highlights a deeper need for transparency, accountability, and faith in India’s democratic institutions. As Bihar and other states head to polls, voters are watching closely because the strength of Indian democracy depends not just on who wins, but on whether every vote is counted fairly.

Source: On eve of Bihar polls, Rahul Gandhi drops ‘H files’, alleges theft of over 25 lakh votes in Haryana elections & What’s in ‘H Files’, Rahul’s latest ‘vote chori’ charge at EC, BJP? ‘Congress would have swept polls if…’ | Watch

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