What was scheduled as a discussion on electoral reforms during the second week of Parliament’s Winter Session spiralled into a bruising political spectacle, dominated by a single phrase – ‘vote chori’.
The Opposition accused the government of systematic theft of votes and capture of constitutional institutions, while the Treasury benches responded with historical counter-allegations, deflection and, at times, raw anger. Meaningful replies to pointed questions, the Opposition charged, were conspicuously absent.
From Lok Sabha to Rajya Sabha, Opposition lawmakers accused BJP of systematically undermining free and fair elections through institutional capture, opaque voter roll revisions, and legal changes that allegedly shield wrongdoing.
Setting the tone for the debate was Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who framed vote theft not as a procedural irregularity but as a fundamental assault on the Indian republic.“The biggest anti-national act that you can do is vote chori,” Gandhi told the Lok Sabha on Dec. 9, as Treasury benches erupted in protest. “Because when you destroy the vote, you destroy the fabric of this country, you destroy modern India and the idea of India.”
Accusing BJP-RSS of capturing every constitutional institution, Gandhi said the Election Commission had ceased to function as an independent guardian of democracy. “You know they are destroying it. I know they are destroying it. And they know they are destroying it,” he said.
At the heart of Gandhi’s charge were three questions the government was unwilling to answer: Why did the Modi government change the law in Dec. 2023 to allow the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister decisive control over the appointment of election commissioners? Why was immunity granted to election commissioners for actions taken in office – a “gift,” as Gandhi described it? And why was the law altered to allow the destruction of CCTV and video footage of polling after just 45 days?
“This is not about data protection,” Gandhi said, referring to the EC’s directive on destroying electronic records. “It is about stealing the election.”
Alleged Duplicates, Missing Answers
The Opposition sharpened its attack by citing specific instances of alleged voter roll manipulation. Gandhi referred to duplicate entries in Haryana, Bihar and other states (e.g., one name repeated 200+ times in a Haryana booth, 1.2 lakh duplicates in Bihar), dramatically displaying a photograph allegedly of a foreign model that appeared multiple times across different polling booths in Haryana.“The Election Commission has no answers,” Gandhi said.
Akhilesh Yadav pushed the argument further, warning that vote theft had crossed a threshold. “This is no longer vote chori,” he said. “It has become a vote dacoity.” Referring to Rampur LS bypoll, Yadav alleged police were used to block voters, ensuring a BJP victory in a seat it had never won before.
Congress MP Dr Mohammad Jawed described Bihar’s SIR of electoral rolls as “systemic and institutional rigging.” “When 17 lakh forms are processed but 21 lakh names are added, including duplicates, what else do you call it?” he asked.
SIR Under Fire
Across parties, the SIR emerged as the focal point of Opposition anger. Far from being a routine administrative exercise, MPs alleged it had become a tool for mass disenfranchisement.
Ujjwal Raman Singh rechristened SIR as “Special Intensive Removal.” “It is removing the voting rights of the marginalised.”
Asaduddin Owaisi called SIR a “backdoor NRC,” alleging that over three lakh Muslim voters were excluded in the context of CAA. “You are reducing citizens into non-citizens through voter lists,” he warned.
N.K. Premachandran of Revolutionary Socialist Party said SIR violated the Representation of the People Act by being conducted outside election cycles. “This will lead to mass disenfranchisement of minorities, migrant workers and the poor.”
Even regional allies of NDA were not spared. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal declared that “no free or fair democratic process remains,” accusing multiple parties of hijacking mandates through electoral manipulation.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal framed the issue in constitutional terms. “Voting is not a favour given by the government,” he said. “It is the foundational principle of our democracy.”
Imran Masood accused the government of targeting Dalits and Muslims in UP through voter mapping exercises between 2023 and 2025. “Booths were captured, voters were blocked, and yet there is no accountability,” he said.
Chandrashekar Azad of Azad Samaj Party described SIR as “regressive,” undermining decades of hard-won voting rights. He also highlighted the pressure placed on BLOs, some of whom allegedly died during the exercise.
While Lok Sabha witnessed the sharpest exchanges, Rajya Sabha debate on December 11 echoed similar concerns. TMC’sDola Sen strongly opposed SIR, saying it enabled “vote chori in the name of electoral rolls.”
“We are not against clean reforms,” Sen said. “We are against rolls which are made by erasing people. Vote chori in the name of SIR will not be accepted.” Portions of her speech were later expunged as sub judice.
Rahul Gandhi, speaking outside the House and referenced in session coverage, reiterated that vote theft was an “anti-national act” that hollowed out democracy from within. He linked current practices to what he called the RSS’s long-term project of institutional capture.
Gandhi repeated his claim that Amit Shah appeared ‘nervous’ and used ‘foul language’ during the Union home minister’s Lok Sabha speech the previous day.
“He (Shah) used foul language. His hands were trembling. Mentally, he is under pressure, and it was seen in Parliament. Whatever I had asked, he gave no replies and provided no proof. I challenged him openly to discuss over my press conferences, but nothing happened. Everyone now understands the reality,” Gandhi told reporters.
Shah Loses Cool
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah tried to launch a combative counter-offensive. He rejected the allegations, arguing SIR was meant to remove “illegal immigrants” from voter lists. But he didn’t present any figure on how many “illegal immigrants” were detected during SIR in Bihar.
The confrontation escalated when Gandhi repeatedly interrupted Shah’s speech, challenging him to debate the allegations raised in his press conferences on Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Shah bristled at the interruptions: “You cannot run Parliament through obstinacy.” He lost his cool, using a common Urdu slur which was deleted from the record.
Shah accused the Congress of being a “generational vote chor,” citing Nehru’s elevation over Sardar Patel, Indira Gandhi’s Emergency-era amendments after her election was invalidated, and allegations surrounding Sonia Gandhi’s voter registration.
At one point, tensions flared so sharply that Gandhi later alleged Shah appeared “nervous,” used foul language and hurled abuse from the floor. “His hands were trembling,” Gandhi told reporters.
As the Opposition intensified its attack, the ruling party sought to shift the narrative, invoking nationalism and raising slogans around VandeMataram. Opposition MPs accused the government of attempting to cloak electoral questions in patriotic rhetoric.
“They raise slogans when they have no answers,” one senior Opposition leader remarked privately. “Nationalism cannot be a substitute for transparency.”
The standoff ultimately ended in walkouts. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused the Opposition of “running away from the debate,” while Opposition leaders countered that there was nothing left to listen to.