A detailed on-ground investigation by The Indian Express has found that the key examples cited by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to allege widespread voter fraud in the Haryana Assembly elections do not stand up to scrutiny.
The investigation reveals that the cases presented as evidence of a “stolen” election are, in fact, large joint families sharing addresses and local voters affected by clerical errors – including the misuse of a Brazilian model’s stock photo on voter rolls.
The “66 Voters, One House” Claim
During a press conference, Gandhi pointed to House Number 150 in Hodal’s Gudhrana village, alleging 66 voters were registered in a single house belonging to a BJP official, Umesh Gudhrana.
On-Ground Finding: The property is a large, multi-generational family plot. Umesh’s uncle, Rajpal Gudhrana (60), explained that his father and three brothers settled on the 10-acre plot 80 years ago. As the family grew, individual homes were built, all retaining the original “House Number 150.”
Statement: “Four generations of our family live together… There is no question of vote theft,” Umesh Gudhrana stated. The 66 voters are all verified relatives.
The “501 Voters, One House” Claim
Gandhi also highlighted House Number 265 in the same village, claiming it had 501 registered voters but “could not be found.”
On-Ground Finding: The location is a vast residential colony. The original landowning family, the Sorouts, gradually sold plots over generations. The area now contains approximately 200 houses and three private schools.
Statement: Pawan Sorout (26) clarified, “Six generations of my family live in the vicinity along with people who bought the land.” All residents, including unrelated buyers like Shyamwati Singh (46), legally use “265” as their official address for voter registration.
The “Brazilian Voter Fraud” Claim
Gandhi’s most sensational claim was that a stock photo of a Brazilian model was used for 22 fake votes across 10 booths in Rai, Sonipat, under names like Seema, Sweety, and Saraswati.
On-Ground Finding: Reporters tracked down four of the women from the list. All are real, local residents who voted without any issue. The Brazilian model’s photo was a clerical error on the rolls, not evidence of impersonation.
Sweety, a homemaker, stated, “I did not have any issues voting this time; I used my 2012 voter card and the slip they issued.”
Darshana Joon’s daughter, Harsha (24), showed her mother’s 2019 voter ID with the correct photo, noting the roll’s image was “clearly wrong.”
Pinki from Machhraula village confirmed her Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) had a wrong photo but it was another local woman’s image, not the Brazilian model’s. She voted using a voter slip and Aadhaar card while awaiting a correction. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) pleaded ignorance of how the stock photo was inserted.
Political Context and Official Refutation
The Congress candidate from Rai, Jai Bhagwan Antil, who lost by 4,673 votes, maintained the election was won with “fake votes.” However, the Election Commission of India has previously refuted Gandhi’s broader allegations, noting that Congress’s own polling agents raised no objections during the voting process.
This ground report substantiates that the evidence presented as a “centralised voter fraud operation” points instead to routine administrative issues and the realities of large family structures in rural India, raising serious questions about the veracity of the “vote chori” narrative.
(Source: Indian Express)
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