The Congress party is set to unveil “The Deletion Files” on Thursday, September 18, a title reminiscent of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s previous works such as “The Kashmir Files,” “The Udaipur Files,” and “The Bengal Files.”
This release marks a new chapter in Congress’s campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), intensifying its allegations of “vote chori,” or vote theft. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is scheduled to hold a press briefing at the Indira Bhawan Auditorium on the same day.
Agnihotri’s films, including “The Kashmir Files,” which deals with the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the late 1980s, and “The Bengal Files,” which addresses the violence of the 1946 Direct Action Day, have sparked significant controversy. “The Udaipur Files” examines the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal.
In his upcoming press conference, Rahul Gandhi is expected to elaborate on his claims of irregularities in the electoral process, arguing that the BJP has illicitly facilitated victory through means involving the Election Commission. He previously warned the BJP of a significant revelation, referring to his allegations of vote theft as a “hydrogen bomb,” contrasting it with an earlier “atom bomb” regarding Mahadevpura.
The INDIA coalition, spearheaded by Congress and Gandhi, has actively accused the BJP of engaging in vote theft. On August 7, Gandhi alleged that over 100,250 “fake votes” were fabricated in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency to secure a BJP victory.
He detailed purported methods of vote manipulation, including duplicate registrations, fictitious addresses, bulk registrations at single locations, invalid photographs, and the misuse of Form 6. “We identified 100,250 stolen votes through five distinct methods. We encountered duplicate voters and invalid addresses, with records showing supposedly numerous residents at a single address where only one family resided,” he stated.
Gandhi presented Congress’s findings on voting outcomes in Mahadevapura, noting their internal polling had predicted 16 seats in Karnataka, but they ultimately secured nine. Focusing on their unexpected losses, he highlighted Mahadevapura, where Congress garnered 115,586 votes against the BJP’s 229,632. He also pointed out that while Congress performed well in other Vidhan Sabha segments, it fell short in this area.
As part of its “Vote Chori” initiative, Congress has launched a dedicated website (votechori.in) and a call-in number to urge citizens to advocate for transparent voter registration processes.
The Election Commission has dismissed Gandhi’s claims as “false and misleading,” requesting he submit a sworn declaration or issue an apology, citing concerns about voter roll privacy with information accessible in PDF format.
