In a sharp tit-for-tat move, the BJP has fired back at Congress’s “vote chori” allegations by levelling its own charge: that Congress benefited from “ghuspaithi voters,” or infiltrator voters. At a press briefing, party leader Anurag Thakur accused the Congress of exploiting electoral manipulation in constituencies like Raebareli and Diamond Harbour. 

But the BJP’s most explosive claim centres on Sonia Gandhi. It alleges that her name appeared on the Indian voters’ list in 1980 three years before she had Indian citizenship raising serious questions about the legality of her registration. Amit Malviya, the BJP IT chief, said: “Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law.” 

According to the BJP, the Gandhi family lived on 1, Safdarjung Road at that time, which was the residence of the former Prime Minister. When the voter list was revised on 1 January 1980 as a reference date, Sonia's name appeared with Indira, Rajiv, Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi. The BJP claims that his name was removed in 1982, but was re -included in 1983.

Political analysts consider this wrangling as part of a comprehensive strategy: the Congress accuses the theft by citing electoral fraud, while the BJP retaliates by questioning the credibility of the major opposition leaders.

In practical terms, this heated debate underscores growing separation around electoral procedures and documentation. Each side accuses the other of manipulating systems to its advantage, leaving public trust once again at the centre of India’s democratic discourse.