Rahul Gandhi Accuses Election Commission of Voter Suppression in Delhi

Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of orchestrating "vote theft" at Delhi’s Bela Estate, where 727 out of 728 registered voters were recently removed from electoral rolls. The Leader of Opposition claims the disenfranchisement specifically targets homeless residents who have lived in the area for decades despite 2023 demolitions.

Editorial·September 28, 2026·reads: 502

Rahul Gandhi Accuses Election Commission of Voter Suppression in Delhi

During a site visit to the Yamuna bank settlement, Gandhi challenged local officials on the legality of the removals. He argued that residential status—or the lack of a permanent address—should not disqualify citizens from voting, citing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s own policy that "House Number 0" is designated for the homeless. Gandhi characterized the deletions as a systematic effort to strip the most vulnerable of their political voice.

This confrontation follows broader allegations of bias within the poll panel. Gandhi recently accused Kumar of "match-fixing" elections, pointing to claims by former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson. Thomson alleged that Kumar, while a serving IAS officer in 2016, urged him to contest elections on a BJP ticket with the promise of a ministerial position. While the Election Commission maintains that all decisions regarding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls received unanimous approval, internal friction remains a point of contention. Reports indicate that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have previously raised concerns over orders issued without their consultation.