Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President N. Ramchander Rao on Monday, 19 October launched a sharp counter-offensive against Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of persistently misleading the public over 'vote chori' allegations even after repeated clarifications from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Supreme Court.

The BJP's Counter-Attack

Rao directly challenged Gandhi's credibility, alleging that the Congress leader has shamelessly continued to make 'vote theft' claims despite authoritative rebuttals. 'Again and again, Rahul Gandhi is misleading the people with regard to vote chori and says that PM Modi, Shah, and Gyanesh will have to pay a price for it. The Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi's family, first of all, they are the chor; they are naam chor. They have stolen the name of Gandhi. And these people are now speaking about vote chori,' Rao said in remarks to reporters.

Rao added that Gandhi's continued campaign amounted to deliberate deception: 'Rahul Gandhi shamelessly goes around the country and speaks of vote chori — this is nothing but misleading the people, in spite of several clarifications by the Election Commission and the court, the Supreme Court itself.'

Rao's Warning on Violence and Foreign Influence

Beyond the electoral controversy, Rao escalated his remarks by warning against any bid to engineer political instability in India, drawing comparisons with unrest in neighbouring countries. 'What has happened in Nepal and Bangladesh cannot be repeated or happen in India. Though the CJP leaders, and the Congress leaders, and people like Prashant Bhushan may say that they are fighting for regime change by creating violence, India will never accept violence,' Rao said.

He further alleged that external forces were involved in sponsoring unrest, citing developments in France as a parallel. 'What has happened even in France — the violence has been escalated there, violence has been sponsored there, and it is the foreign powers who are sponsoring all these people. India can never play to the foreign powers' tune,' Rao asserted.

What Rahul Gandhi Said in Goa

The BJP's pushback came a day after Rahul Gandhi addressed a Congress rally at Margao, Goa on Sunday, 18 October, where he intensified his attack on the government and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Describing the Congress as the 'guardian of the Constitution', Gandhi framed vote theft as a direct assault on democratic principles.

'Vote chori is an attack on the Constitution and the Congress party's dharma as the party is the guardian of the statute,' Gandhi said at the Margao rally. He also directly named the CEC, warning that 'Gyanesh Kumar and others will face the law and pay a price for what they have done.'

Notably, Gandhi appeared to dare the government to prosecute him for his claims. 'I already have 45 cases, including defamation, against me, and I challenge them to file a new case for my vote chori claims. I know they will not do this as filing a case against me on this issue will make the matter legal and expose them,' he said.

Context and What Comes Next

This is the latest exchange in an escalating war of words between the ruling BJP and the Congress over the integrity of India's electoral process — a debate that has grown sharper in the run-up to upcoming state elections. Gandhi has been on an extended tour making 'vote chori' a central Congress campaign plank, while the BJP and the ECI have consistently denied the allegations. The Supreme Court, too, has reportedly addressed related petitions without lending credence to claims of systematic vote theft.

Whether the BJP's sharp counter-narrative succeeds in neutralising Gandhi's campaign will likely become clearer as the electoral calendar advances.