Unpacking the 'Vote-Chori' Allegation: Rahul Gandhi's Persistent Claim in Maharashtra's Rajura

During the intense Lok Sabha election campaign of 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly brought a contentious episode from the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections to the national spotlight. His persistent allegations of "vote-chori" centered on the Rajura-Ballarpur assembly seat, a segment of the crucial Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency, reigniting debates about electoral integrity and the fairness of the democratic process.

Gandhi's narrative painted a dramatic picture: in the 2019 state polls, the Congress candidate, Subhash Dhote, was reportedly leading by a significant margin after the 26th round of counting in Rajura-Ballarpur.

According to the Congress leader, Dhote was declared the winner by 1,235 votes at this stage. However, the subsequent, final declaration saw an astonishing reversal. Suddenly, the BJP candidate, Sanjay Dhote, was pronounced the victor by a mere 46 votes. This dramatic shift became the cornerstone of Gandhi's accusation, suggesting an inexplicable manipulation of results.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had, in 2019, addressed the initial controversy, attributing the discrepancy to a "clerical error" in the initial tabulation process.

They asserted that the final count, which declared Sanjay Dhote as the winner, was accurate. Yet, Rahul Gandhi's renewed focus on this specific instance years later aimed to sow seeds of doubt about the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the transparency of the electoral system, especially in a context where the Opposition was collectively questioning the EC's role.

The Rajura-Ballarpur assembly segment, while at the heart of this controversy, lies within the broader Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency.

Interestingly, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chandrapur bucked the trend in the Vidarbha region, emerging as the sole seat won by the Congress. Pratibha Dhanorkar, the Congress candidate and widow of former MP Suresh Dhanorkar, secured this victory, adding another layer of intrigue to the political dynamics of the region and perhaps validating, for the Congress, their narrative of a resurgent anti-BJP sentiment.

The political lineage of the Rajura-Ballarpur seat is notable.

It was once a stronghold for figures like Bapu Dhote, a prominent figure in Maharashtra's politics. Subhash Dhote, the Congress candidate embroiled in the 2019 controversy, is Bapu Dhote's nephew, continuing a family legacy in the region. Sanjay Dhote, the BJP winner, is also a local figure, making the contest a deeply personal and locally resonant battle.

The close margins and the dramatic turn of events in 2019 underscore the intense electoral competition that defines this assembly segment.

Rahul Gandhi's consistent invocation of the Rajura-Ballarpur incident served a strategic purpose for the Congress. By highlighting what they termed "vote-chori," the party sought to mobilize voters around a narrative of threatened democracy and the imperative to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

This was a critical component of their wider campaign to challenge the ruling BJP and its perceived dominance. Despite the EC's prior clarifications, the controversy's re-emergence ensured that the questions surrounding the 2019 Rajura-Ballarpur result remained a potent talking point, shaping public perception and political discourse in Maharashtra and beyond.