Responding to allegations about Sonia Gandhi being illegally added to the voter list, Congress calls it an attempt to divert attention from pressing issues.
BJP’s Allegation Against Sonia Gandhi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused former Congress president Sonia Gandhi of being illegally included in India’s voter list before she became a citizen.
Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed Sonia Gandhi’s name appeared in the electoral rolls between 1980 and 1982, a year before she acquired Indian citizenship.
Malviya posted what he said was a photocopy of the 1980 electoral roll extract from the New Delhi constituency, alleging it showed Sonia Gandhi listed as a voter while residing at the then Prime Minister’s official residence. He called it a “clear violation of the law”, stating that her inclusion before the 1980 Lok Sabha election and even her re-entry in 1983 were both improper.
Congress Hits Back
Congress sources have dismissed the allegations, calling them a 45-year-old non-issue meant to divert public attention.
“To avoid answering relevant questions of today, the BJP is raking up an unnecessary decades-old matter,” a party spokesperson told NDTV.
The party has not issued an official response to Thakur’s statements but maintained that the focus should remain on current governance and election issues, not historical records.
Context of the Allegation
- Sonia Gandhi was born Sonia Maino in Italy in 1946 and married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968.
- She became an Indian citizen in April 1983.
- BJP claims her name was added during a voter list revision ahead of the 1980 elections, before she was eligible.
According to BJP leaders, following a public outcry in 1982, her name was removed, but her re-entry in 1983 allegedly ignored the January 1 cut-off date for voter eligibility.
Political Backdrop
The accusation comes amid heated debates over alleged voter fraud in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Bihar.
Rahul Gandhi recently accused the BJP and Election Commission of colluding to enable illegal votes in past elections — a charge the EC strongly denies.
The BJP has countered by accusing the Congress of hypocrisy, pointing to the Sonia Gandhi voter list controversy as evidence.
Key Takeaways
- BJP Claim: Sonia Gandhi was a registered voter before becoming an Indian citizen.
- Congress Response: Allegations are outdated and politically motivated.
- Ongoing Tension: Comes amid larger disputes over voter list integrity ahead of major elections.
As both parties trade charges over decades-old events and recent elections, the voter list battle is fast becoming another flashpoint in India’s charged political climate.
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