Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ claims: Poll officer says she saw photo of Brazilian model on three voter IDs

A booth-level officer (BLO) from Rai Assembly constituency has confirmed that she saw the photo of the Brazilian model – that Rahul Gandhi claimed was used towards voter fraud in Haryana – during her survey three times. This comes amid Gandhi’s allegations that the photo of the said Brazilian model appeared on multiple voter cards. He claimed that her photo was used under different names.

The BLO told India Today TV that she had rectified the misprint for voters who provided her with the original photographs. However, the misprint remained for voters she could not reach. She clarified that she could not comment on whether the voters were fake.

RAHUL GANDHI’S ALLEGATIONS

Rahul Gandhi intensified his "vote chori" allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission, claiming extensive voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. At a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi asserted he possessed "100 per cent proof" of "systemic manipulation" intended to convert a Congress victory into defeat. He alleged that 25 lakh fake votes, about 12 per cent of the state's electorate, were cast, and 5.21 lakh duplicate entries were uncovered by his team. "One in every eight voters in Haryana is fake," Gandhi said.

Gandhi presented alleged discrepancies in voter rolls, including a slide showing a Brazilian model's photograph reportedly used 22 times under different names in multiple booths. He described the events as a "planned operation" and said that “all exit polls pointed to a Congress victory in Haryana." He claimed, "For the first time in Haryana's history, postal ballots didn't match the actual votes. A plan was put in motion to convert Congress' landslide victory into a loss."

He insisted his charges were supported by verified data, stating he was "questioning not just the EC, but the democratic process itself." Gandhi reiterated his accusation that the poll body and the BJP "are in cahoots," asserting, "Why is the ECI not removing duplicates? If they do, it will make for fair elections. But the EC doesn't want fair polls."

Expanding on his allegations, Gandhi said the BJP, with the EC's support, would pursue the same "sarkar chori" approach in the Bihar elections. He criticised the election roll revision process, stating, "In Bihar, many voters were deleted from the list. But they can be found at their address. The reason is that we get the voter list at the very last minute of election."

The Election Commission dismissed the allegations, stating that Gandhi's charge is "unfounded" and "no appeals had been filed against the state's electoral rolls." The Commission also noted that only 22 election petitions remain pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

VOTER MISMATCH

After the claims, India Today TV tracked down one of the women whose voter ID was displayed by Gandhi as part of his allegations. The voter denied any wrongdoing and called the “vote chori” allegations baseless.

She said that she herself cast the vote in 2024, while acknowledging the misprint. "When I had applied for my voter card, it first arrived with a photo misprint, it had the picture of a woman from my village. We immediately returned it, but we still haven't received a corrected copy. I cast my vote in the 2024 election using my voter slip and Aadhaar card,” she told the channel. The voter said that the error must be on the part of the BLO or the election officer.