Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest claim alleging “223 identical entries” in a polling booth in Haryana during the 2024 elections has come under scrutiny, with an on-ground investigation revealing that the village in question, Dhakola in the Mulana Assembly constituency, actually voted overwhelmingly for the Congress, not the BJP.
At a recent press conference, Gandhi alleged large-scale voter ID manipulation, saying: “The Election Commission needs to tell us how many times this lady, whose name we don’t know, whose age we don’t know, but we know she occurs 223 times in two booths. In the Lok Sabha election, she was there 223 times in one booth, and then they decided to split it into two booths.”
However, electoral data and field verification tell a different story. The booth Gandhi referred to appears to be Booth No. 63 in Dhakola village, which was later split into Booths 63 and 64 for the 2024 Assembly polls. Public polling station records confirm the administrative change explaining Gandhi’s reference to “two booths.”
Congress Gains, BJP Declines
Form 20 data from both the 2019 and 2024 elections show a decisive swing toward the Congress in Dhakola. In 2019, the BJP led the booth, but by 2024, the Congress had overtaken it in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
Polling data:
- 2019 Assembly: INC – 316 | BJP – 460
- 2019 Lok Sabha: INC – 315 | BJP – 355
- 2024 Assembly: INC – 602 | BJP – 275
- 2024 Lok Sabha: INC – 610 | BJP – 218
This turnaround suggests Dhakola was not a site of “vote theft,” but rather one where the Congress made significant electoral gains.
BLO Confirms Misprint, Not Malpractice
An India Today investigation in Mulana found that the photo duplication Gandhi cited in which the face of a Brazilian model appeared against multiple voter names — stemmed from a clerical error, not manipulation.
“When I was surveying, I found the same photo had appeared three times,” a Booth Level Officer (BLO) told the channel. “I corrected those who had submitted their own photos. But for others whose originals weren’t available, the misprint stayed.”
The officer’s statement indicates a technical error during data entry rather than a coordinated attempt at voter duplication.
Larger Concerns About Voter Roll Accuracy
While Gandhi’s allegation of 223 fake voters remains unsubstantiated, the incident highlights a recurring issue — errors in India’s electoral rolls, including mismatched photos, outdated entries, and verification lapses, particularly in rural areas.
Analysts say such discrepancies, though clerical in nature, can easily be misinterpreted as evidence of fraud, eroding public trust in the electoral system.
For now, however, the numbers from Dhakola point to the opposite of what Gandhi claimed: a village that swung sharply toward the Congress, not one manipulated against it.
(Source: India Today)
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
