EC no longer protector of democracy but key participant in 'vote chori' conspiracy: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that what is being done in Gujarat in the name of SIR is a "well-planned, organised, and strategic vote chori", with the Election Commission becoming a key participant in the "conspiracy of vote theft".
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been transformed into a weapon to destroy the constitutional right of "one person, one vote", so that the BJP, not the people, decides who will be in power.
"Wherever there's SIR, there's vote theft. What is being done in Gujarat in the name of SIR is not any kind of administrative process, it is a well-planned, organised, and strategic vote chori," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
The most shocking and dangerous thing is that thousands upon thousands of objections were filed under the same name, he claimed.
"Votes were selectively removed from specific communities and booths that support the Congress party. Wherever the BJP sees a potential defeat, voters are simply made to disappear from the system," Gandhi alleged.
"This same pattern was seen in Aland. The same thing happened in Rajura. And now the same blueprint is being implemented in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and every state where SIR has been imposed," he said.
"The most serious truth is that the Election Commission is no longer the protector of democracy, but has become a key participant in this conspiracy of vote theft," Gandhi said.
His remarks came over Gujarat Congress' social media post in which it alleged that after Rahul Gandhi exposed vote manipulation, the BJP has adopted a next-level model of election rigging.
"Election rigging means the theft of your voting rights, and this new game has come to light in Gujarat. According to the rules, the Election Commission, after the SIR, released the draft list and began accepting objections, setting January 18 as the final date. Only a handful of objections were received until January 15, but the real game began afterward. Under a conspiracy, millions of objections (Form 7) were suddenly submitted," the party's state unit claimed.
When the Election Commission released the 1.2 million objections, it became clear that rules were being flouted to target specific castes, communities, and regions. Dozens of objections were filed in the name of a single person, with different names and signatures, while the Election Commission remained a "silent spectator", it further alleged.
"When the main opposition party writes a letter requesting information about the objections, they receive no response, making the election rigging completely evident. This is because the Election Commission has mortgaged both its responsibility and accountability to the ruling party," the party claimed.
जहाँ-जहाँ SIR, वहाँ-वहाँ वोट चोरी।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 24, 2026
गुजरात में SIR के नाम पर जो कुछ किया जा रहा है, वह किसी भी तरह की प्रशासनिक प्रक्रिया नहीं है - यह सुनियोजित, संगठित और रणनीतिक वोट चोरी है।
सबसे चौंकाने वाली और ख़तरनाक बात यह है कि एक ही नाम से हज़ारों-हज़ार आपत्तियाँ दर्ज की गईं।
चुन-चुनकर… https://t.co/LC9i5DP44y
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
