Rahul Gandhi Raises 'Vote Theft' and SIR Concerns at Congress Working Committee Meeting

Rahul Gandhi used a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's apex decision-making body, to press senior colleagues on the issues of "vote theft" and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to party sources.

Sources said Gandhi pointed out that he had been raising the vote-theft issue for two years, initially without much backing from within his own party. "For the past two years, I have been speaking about vote theft. Initially, our own people did not seem to agree, but today, after two years, the majority are in agreement," he was quoted as saying by sources.

He also remarked that many leaders remained "preoccupied with analysis" rather than forcefully taking up the EVM issue, and instructed those present to raise the matter with confidence, sources said. A leader at the meeting said on condition of anonymity that Gandhi singled out several colleagues, signalling that they too should align with the party's stance on the SIR process.

The discussion followed a report claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over ten months, between October 2025 and August 2026, to decisions and orders related to the SIR of electoral rolls, many of which they said were taken without their knowledge. The Election Commission responded that internal technical notes and written queries are standard practice in a multi-member body, and that all final decisions on the SIR process were taken unanimously with full legal sanction.

According to Congress sources, several senior leaders at the meeting proposed holding major protests and rallies over the reported dissent within the Election Commission on the SIR process and decision-making. Sources indicated that opinions within the party on the vote-theft issue remain divided, with some leaders backing Gandhi's allegations and others uneasy about the situation surrounding the EVM question.

Sources close to the matter said Gandhi is aware that on various occasions many Congress leaders have not supported his positions, and that he has previously issued directives and taken a stern line on their attitude during CWC meetings. The party has also shifted its internal approach, with sources saying there is now active monitoring of which leaders back Gandhi's views or vigorously promote the issues he raises — from social media activity to specific actions — including those who disagree.