Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi clashed in the Lok Sabha over alleged “vote chori,” with Shah accusing the Nehru-Gandhi family of historical electoral malpractices.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, December 10, 2025: The Lok Sabha witnessed a stormy confrontation on December 10, 2025, during the Winter Session debate on electoral reforms, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a vigorous rebuttal to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s accusations of “vote chori” (vote theft).
The debate, centered on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, quickly escalated into personal attacks. Shah accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of historical electoral malpractices, while Gandhi challenged him to a direct debate on his recent press conferences highlighting alleged voter list anomalies. The hour-long clash underscored the widening rift between the BJP and Congress, bringing renewed focus to the opposition’s claims of institutional capture by the ruling party.
The confrontation followed preliminary debates on December 9, where Gandhi described “vote chori” as the “biggest anti-national act,” alleging collusion between the BJP and Election Commission to manipulate voter lists ahead of state elections, notably in Bihar. Gandhi referenced anomalies, including 501 households in Haryana allegedly linked to single voter IDs and duplicate entries favoring BJP strongholds. He also called for retrospective amendments to laws granting immunity to Election Commissioners and accused RSS infiltration in institutions, claiming it threatened the “idea of India.”
Amit Shah allows Rahul Gandhi to intervene in between his address
RaGa: “First answer my yesterday’s question…”Amit Shah: “I have 30 years of experience in assemblies & Parliament.
~ Parliament won’t work with your directions. YOU WON’T DECIDE MY SPEAKING ORDER”🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/8Eo7VTRoUv— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) December 10, 2025
Shah, speaking around 11:30 AM, dismissed these claims as “manufactured narratives” and hyperbolic exaggeration. “Voter lists are fine when you win and wear new clothes for the oath, but when you fall flat—like in Bihar—you cry foul. These double standards won’t fly,” he said, referencing Congress’s poor performance in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls.
Defending the SIR exercise, Shah explained that over 2.7 crore duplicate entries had been flagged nationwide since 2024 under Article 326, and cited systemic errors caused by pre-2010 rules allowing Returning Officers to retain removal powers. He highlighted examples of cross-registration involving opposition leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav and members of Mamata Banerjee’s family, adding, “If even your own are duplicates, why attack reforms?”
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Midway through Shah’s speech, Gandhi interjected, rising dramatically from the opposition benches. “Amit Shah ji, you’ve cherry-picked my press conferences. Why grant Election Commissioners full immunity for life? Answer that first. Actually, let’s debate my three press conferences on vote chori. I challenge you—let’s go!” Congress MPs thumped desks in support.
Shah, visibly irked, replied firmly, “I’ve been elected to assemblies and Parliament for 30 years. No one dictates the order of my speech, not even the Leader of the Opposition. Parliament doesn’t run on your whims. Be patient; I will answer everything in due course.” He added, “This is not a defensive or fearful response—it is the voice of someone who will not be provoked. True vote chori is defying the people’s mandate.” Gandhi countered with, “Yeh dara hua jawab hai” (This is a scared reply), prompting Speaker Om Birla to briefly adjourn the House for order.
In a historical counter, Shah cited three instances he termed “generational vote chori” involving the Nehru-Gandhi family: Jawaharlal Nehru’s selection as Prime Minister in 1946 despite receiving only two votes against Sardar Patel’s 28 in the Congress Working Committee; Indira Gandhi’s Rae Bareli election in 1971, invalidated by the Allahabad High Court and followed by the enactment of PM immunity law; and Sonia Gandhi’s voter status in the 1970s, alleging she voted before acquiring citizenship. Congress MPs responded sharply, insisting there was no substance in the allegation and demanding evidence.
Shah concluded by asserting that families who allegedly engaged in generational vote chori now lecture others on electoral integrity. BJP MPs amplified his remarks, highlighting historical EVM piloting under Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi reiterated calls for Supreme Court oversight in CEC panels and VVPAT audits, while Shah defended the independence of the Election Commission and the SIR process, emphasizing “one person, one vote” equity.
The clash sparked a social media storm, trending under #VoteChoriDebate2025 and #RahulVsShah. Analysts noted the confrontation as part of pre-Bihar poll posturing, with Gandhi’s challenge positioning him as a feisty Leader of the Opposition post-2024 revival. The
