Congress leader and Lok Sabha opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday presented what he described as substantial evidence of electoral irregularities in Haryana, showcasing a photo of a Brazilian model whose image allegedly appeared 22 times across multiple voter registrations under different names including Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, and Vilma.
Speaking at a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi launched what he called “The H Files”, claiming the Election Commission (EC) was “working at the behest of the ruling BJP to steal votes.” He alleged the manipulation was part of a “centralized operation” designed to alter the 2024 Haryana assembly election results.
Gandhi highlighted that Haryana has approximately 2 crore voters, and claimed that 25 lakh entries were invalid, including 5.21 lakh duplicate voters, 93,174 invalid voters, and 19.26 lakh bulk voters. He emphasized that the BJP’s margin of victory was only 22,000 votes, framing this as a “theft of democracy.”
Addressing younger voters, Gandhi said, “We want Gen Z of India to understand this clearly because this is about your future. I am questioning the EC and the democratic process in India — and I am doing it with 100% proof.”
The Election Commission responded immediately, rejecting the claims and noting that no appeals had been filed against Haryana’s electoral rolls. EC officials questioned why Congress polling agents did not object during voting if they suspected voter fraud. They also challenged Gandhi’s stance on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, asking whether he now supports the initiative, which removes duplicate, dead, and shifted voters, along with verifying citizenship.
This marks Gandhi’s third press conference alleging voter manipulation, following previous claims of mass additions and deletions of voters. He had earlier promised what he referred to as a “hydrogen bomb” of proof on “vote chori.”
The controversy arises just two days before voting begins in the Bihar elections, where the opposition alliance, including Congress, is actively campaigning. Gandhi’s allegations have intensified scrutiny on the electoral process in Haryana and across India.
