The Election Commission (EC) has demanded that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi submit a formal declaration and provide evidence to support his claims of "vote chori" (vote theft) during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This action follows Gandhi's allegations that the elections were rigged and that the Congress party suspects manipulation in 70 to 100 seats.

Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been vocal about his concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process. He claimed to possess "100% proof" to substantiate his allegations, citing an example of a constituency in Karnataka where, according to Congress's internal investigation, 1.5 lakh "fake" votes were allegedly found out of 6.5 lakh total voters. He further alleged "voter theft" of over 1 lakh votes in the Mahadevapura assembly seat in Karnataka. Gandhi stated that the Congress party manually checked the voter list for one constituency over months. He criticized the EC for not providing digital copies of the voter lists, which he claimed would have made the process much faster. He also added that the documents provided by the EC were not computer-readable.

The EC has strongly refuted Gandhi's claims, labeling them as "baseless accusations" and "unfounded allegations". The poll body asserts that the electoral rolls for the 2024 Lok Sabha election were shared with all political parties, including the Congress, as per the law. They also pointed out that hardly any appeals were filed by the Indian National Congress across all 36 states and Union territories. The EC emphasized that only eight election petitions were filed by losing Congress candidates under Section 80 of the RP Act 1951 in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

The EC expressed concern that Gandhi's repeated allegations could exert undue pressure on the election machinery and even threaten poll officials. The Commission also noted that it had extended an invitation to Gandhi for an interaction on June 12, 2025, but has not received a response.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has also criticized Gandhi's claims, daring him to reveal his alleged evidence of vote theft. Singh stated that the Election Commission of India is an institution that enjoys a reputation for unquestionable integrity. He likened Gandhi's claim of possessing an "atom bomb of evidence" to his past rhetoric that ultimately proved to be anticlimactic.