BJP alleges Sonia Gandhi became voter before getting Indian citizenship
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of being added to the electoral rolls three years before she became an Indian citizen. The allegation was made by former Union Minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur at a press conference. Thakur cited Amit Malviya, chief of the BJP IT Cell, who posted a photocopy of a 1980 electoral roll from New Delhi's polling station 145 on X (formerly Twitter).
Registration controversy
Malviya's allegations on X
Malviya alleged that Gandhi's name was added to the voter list in 1980, even though she still held Italian citizenship. "Sonia Gandhi's tryst with India's voters' list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law," he wrote on X. He further alleged that after public outcry, her name was deleted from the list in 1982 and re-added in January 1983, but this registration also violated laws, as it occurred months before she was granted Indian citizenship in April 1983.
Twitter Post
Check out the tweet here
Sonia Gandhi’s tryst with India’s voters’ list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters, and his opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 13, 2025
Her name first appeared… pic.twitter.com/upl1LM8Xhl
Citizenship dispute
Gandhi's citizenship and electoral rolls
Gandhi, who was born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in Italy in 1946, married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968 and moved to India. Malviya alleged that her name entered the electoral rolls twice without meeting the basic citizenship requirement. "We are not even asking why it took her 15 years after marrying Rajiv Gandhi to accept Indian citizenship," he said.
Vote theft
BJP's allegations after Rahul's voter list manipulation claim
The BJP's allegations come after Rahul Gandhi accused the ECI of colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter lists in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka in the 2024 general elections. Gandhi cited Mahadevapura electoral statistics, claiming that the voter list had over 100,000 manipulated entries, including duplicate voters, addresses, etc. His allegations came amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Rahul claimed this process could disenfranchise vulnerable groups who may not have the strict documentation.