AMIT SHAH TURNS ‘VOTE THEFT’ CHARGE BACK ON RAHUL GANDHI, ACCUSES CONGRESS OF SHIELDING INFILTRATORS

October 22, 2026

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of “vote theft”, accusing the opposition of attempting to protect alleged infiltrators rather than addressing concerns surrounding electoral integrity.

Shah’s remarks intensified the political confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over voter lists, electoral procedures and allegations of irregularities. Responding to Gandhi’s criticism of the electoral process, the home minister challenged the Congress leader’s position and sought to portray the dispute as a question of whether illegal infiltrators should be allowed to remain on electoral rolls.

“ You want to protect infiltrators’ votes,” Shah said in his attack on Gandhi, turning the Congress leader’s allegations against the opposition party. His remarks reflect the BJP’s continuing emphasis on alleged illegal immigration and the need to identify and remove ineligible voters from electoral rolls.

Gandhi has repeatedly raised concerns about alleged manipulation of voter lists and irregularities in elections, questioning the fairness of the electoral process. The Congress has called for greater scrutiny and transparency in the preparation of electoral rolls, while the BJP has rejected the opposition’s accusations and challenged its interpretation of the available evidence.

The latest exchange adds to the increasingly combative political debate over electoral accountability, voter eligibility and the credibility of India’s democratic institutions. The BJP has sought to frame the issue around the protection of electoral rolls from alleged illegal entries, whereas the Congress has focused on its claims of irregularities in the voting system.

Shah’s intervention underscores the widening political divide over the issue, with both parties seeking to establish their competing narratives before the public. The dispute is likely to remain a significant point of contention as political parties continue to debate the integrity of voter registration and the safeguards required to ensure credible elections.