From Psephology To Apology: Will Election Expert's Data Deletion Blunt Rahul Gandhi's Attack On ECI?

Last Updated:August 19, 2025, 22:47 IST

The BJP is out to portray Gandhi as having relied on Sanjay Kumar's data, leading him to launch a nationwide campaign of alleged 'vote theft'

With CSDS's Sanjay Kumar's turnaround, Congress and Rahul Gandhi may find it tough to promote the narrative of 'vote chori' against India's poll body. (Photos: PTI file + X)

A “sincere apology" and the deletion of social media posts suggesting a significant dip in the number of voters in two assembly constituencies compared to the Lok Sabha election held just months apart seem to have hit at the heart of Congress’s attack on the Election Commission regarding Maharashtra.

Psephologist and co-director of Lokniti-CSDS Prof Sanjay Kumar made the startling claim two days earlier. However, on Tuesday morning, he posted on X, “I sincerely apologize for the tweets posted regarding Maharashtra elections. Error occurred while comparing data of 2024 LS and 2024 AS. The data in row was misread by our Data team. The tweet has since been removed. I had no intention of dispersing any form of misinformation."

This admission came on the heels of Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, where the Congress leader launched a fierce attack on the Election Commission.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was in no mood to let go, with BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya lashing out at Kumar’s apology, calling him a “protégé of Yogendra Yadav". Malviya posted angrily, “Incidentally, when was the last time this protégé of Yogendra Yadav ever got anything right? In all his projections in the run-up to every single election, the BJP is supposedly losing—and when the reverse happens, he turns up on TV justifying how the BJP won. Convenient."

Rahul’s ‘vote chori’ campaign

Speaking at a recent Bihar rally, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, “In Maharashtra, all the opinion polls were predicting that INDIA bloc would form the government, but in the election results, the BJP-led alliance formed the government. The BJP got the votes of 1 crore new voters." Gandhi further stated, “In the entire country, vote theft is going on. In the name of SIR, they want to add new voters and steal the votes. In Bihar, we will not allow Vote Chori."

With CSDS’s Sanjay Kumar’s turnaround, Congress and Rahul Gandhi may find it tough to promote the narrative of “vote chori" against India’s poll body. Sources indicate there was no unanimity from powerful INDIA constituents when the idea of seeking the removal of Chief Election Officer Gyanesh Kumar was floated. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress may find it harder to push it through due to Tuesday’s revelation.

BJP’s counter

Among the issues Rahul Gandhi highlighted in the press conference were duplicate entries of individuals, dozens of voters from a small house, to addresses with “house number zero". He used EC’s constituency-level data to support his claim, which the poll body dismissed. However, if politics is about perception, BJP is out to portray Gandhi as having relied on Kumar’s data, leading him to launch a nationwide campaign of alleged vote theft, which now stands deleted.

In his now-deleted post on Maharashtra elections, Sanjay Kumar had claimed that in the assembly constituency Ramtek, the number of voters in 2024 was 4,66,203 in the Lok Sabha polls and 2,86,931 in the assembly polls. In his second claim, Kumar suggested that in the assembly constituency Devlali, the number of voters in the Lok Sabha was 4,56,072, and during assembly elections, it came down to 2,88,141.

While both posts are deleted, Malviya used screenshots to target Rahul Gandhi, stating, “The very institution whose data Rahul Gandhi leaned on to defame the voters of Maharashtra has now admitted that its figures were wrong—not just on Maharashtra, but even on SIR."

Over the weekend, holding a press conference to respond to Rahul Gandhi’s charges, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said, “If no declaration under oath is given within 7 days, claims will be considered baseless and invalid…" adding that those making unsubstantiated allegations, hinting towards Gandhi, should apologise to the nation.

With Sanjay Kumar’s U-turn, is that an option for Gandhi?

Anindya Banerjee

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...Read More

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...

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First Published:

August 19, 2025, 22:47 IST

News politics From Psephology To Apology: Will Election Expert's Data Deletion Blunt Rahul Gandhi's Attack On ECI?

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