BJP Alleges Sonia Gandhi Was on Voter List Before Citizenship
Claims she was illegally registered in 1980; Congress blames the Election Commission for the error.
- The BJP has alleged that Sonia Gandhi was illegally added to the voter list in 1980 before she became an Indian citizen.
- Congress leader Tariq Anwar responded by stating that the Election Commission was responsible for the error.
- This counter-allegation comes as the Congress is making its own claims of voter fraud in several states.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Aug: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is facing allegations of colluding with the Election Commission to commit voter fraud, has counter-attacked by claiming that ex-Congress boss Sonia Gandhi was illegally added to the voter list 45 years ago, before she was an Indian citizen.
Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur claimed that Mrs. Gandhi, who was born Sonia Maino in Italy in 1946, was on the voter list from 1980 to 1982, a year before she acquired Indian citizenship. These allegations were also posted on X by the BJP’s Amit Malviya, who shared what he claimed was a photocopy of the 1980 electoral rolls as proof.
The Congress, in turn, responded to the allegations. Speaking to NDTV, Tariq Anwar, a Congress leader, said that Sonia Gandhi had not requested to be on the voter roll and that it was the poll body officials of the time who were responsible for the error. Anwar also defended the Election Commission of that era, stating that it was an independent body and took its own decisions. He contrasted this with his belief that the current Election Commission has become “a part of the BJP.”
This political volley comes amid the Congress and other opposition parties alleging widespread voter fraud in recent elections in Karnataka and Maharashtra. Rahul Gandhi has claimed that millions of illegal votes were cast and that the EC and BJP worked together to ensure this. The BJP has since criticized Gandhi for “maligning a constitutional body,” while the Election Commission has demanded he provide proof for his claims in a signed affidavit.
Home Minister Amit Shah also weighed in, mocking the Congress for “looking for an excuse for defeat even before this election” in Bihar.
