A political storm broke out after the Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, during a press conference on August 7, accused the Election Commission of manipulating records through fake voters.
He cited examples from the voter list, alleging that individuals such as Aditya Srivastava, son of S.P. Srivastava, and Vishal Singh, son of Mahipal Singh, were registered in multiple constituencies, which he said was a clear violation of electoral rules.
Referring to voter data released by the Election Commission on March 16, 2025, Gandhi claimed that Aditya Srivastava appeared as a voter in Assembly Constituency 158, Jogeshwari East, Booth No. 197 in Mumbai, while Vishal Singh was listed in Assembly Constituency 174, Mahadevapura, Booth No. 458 in Bengaluru.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that both individuals were listed as voters in Assembly Constituency 173, Lucknow East, Booth No. 84, Siasat Daily reported.
However, a fact-check by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) contradicted this claim, stating that official records show Aditya Srivastava remains registered in Assembly Constituency 174, Mahadevapura (Booth No. 458, Part No. 1265), while Vishal Singh is listed in the same constituency (Booth No. 513, Part No. 926). The CEO’s office clarified that neither name appears in the Lucknow East or Varanasi Cantt voter rolls.
Separately, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair maintained that Aditya Srivastava is indeed registered in Lucknow East, Jogeshwari East, and Mahadevapura. He shared a detailed step-by-step process on his X account for verifying voter information through the Election Commission’s official data.
Following Rahul Gandhi's assertions, Congress politician Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the Election Commission on Friday. She urged the election board to investigate Rahul Gandhi's poll rigging allegations and said it should reconsider if it believes its responsibility is solely to the BJP.