On 3rd September, the Congress party once again found itself in the middle of an embarrassing controversy. This time, the spotlight turned towards Pawan Khera, one of the party’s prominent spokespersons, but not directly because of his own actions. Instead, his wife Kota Neelima came under scanner after reports surfaced that she had her name registered as a voter in three separate polling stations spread across two different states.

The allegations were made public by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya, who shared specific details about Neelima’s voter identity. According to him, she has her name listed on electoral rolls at two different locations in Hyderabad, Telangana, and another entry in New Delhi’s Kaka Nagar constituency. These claims were not left hanging in the air. The presence of her name in more than one location was confirmed by Satyaagrah during its independent investigation, which checked the details through official election resources.

Malviya’s statement drew attention to Neelima’s 2023 affidavit, in which she had declared her voter registration in Khairatabad with the EPIC number TDZ2666014. According to him, this EPIC number was not confined to one place but appeared at two separate polling booths.

Satyaagrah carried out its own verification. One listing was confirmed through the Voter Helpline App, where her name appeared clearly. Another was confirmed by checking the Election Commission of India’s website, which published the electoral roll for the 2024 General Elections. Both checks proved that the name had been duplicated in more than one place.
Source: Election Commission of India / Voter Helpline App

The controversy did not stop there. It also came to light that Neelima held another EPIC number: SJE0755975. This was registered in New Delhi’s Kaka Nagar constituency, the same address where her husband Pawan Khera resides. That meant she had multiple active registrations, spread not just across two polling stations in Hyderabad but also in the capital city of Delhi. The discovery added to the seriousness of the allegations, highlighting the problem of electoral malpractice and duplicate entries.

Duplicate Voter IDs of Pawan Khera

The issue surrounding Neelima came right after an earlier revelation about Pawan Khera himself. On 2nd September, it was disclosed that he had two EPIC numbers registered under his name. One of these was in Jangpura, while the other was in New Delhi. Both these entries were checked and verified as active by Satyaagrah.

The embarrassment grew further when another detail emerged — even the name of his deceased sister, Roopam Khera, had not been deleted from the electoral roll. This meant that electoral records still carried the identity of a person who had already passed away. Such negligence not only points to flaws in the electoral system but also places Pawan Khera in a highly questionable position, as these irregularities were present in his own family records.

Rahul Gandhi’s Silence and Contradictions

The controversy has become sharper because of the silence of Rahul Gandhi. For months, he has loudly raised the issue of electoral irregularities, often using the phrase “vote chori” to attack his political opponents. He has made it a major political slogan, presenting himself as someone fighting to safeguard the purity of the election process.

Yet when it came to the duplications involving Pawan Khera and his wife Kota Neelima, Rahul Gandhi did not issue a single statement. His silence is even more striking when compared to his past actions. In several press conferences, he has targeted ordinary citizens, sometimes even revealing their names and details without their consent. But in the case of his own party spokesperson and his spouse, he has chosen to remain quiet.

This contradiction has not gone unnoticed. It shows a double standard where accusations against others are highlighted loudly, but issues within his own circle are ignored. Rahul Gandhi’s unwillingness to comment undermines the very foundation of the “vote chori” narrative that he has been aggressively promoting.

Counter-Allegations by Pawan Khera

In response to the charges, Pawan Khera attempted to defend himself by shifting the blame towards the Election Commission of India (ECI). On social media platform X, he wrote that “this is exactly what Congress has been accusing the ECI of.” He added that he had already applied for deletion of his name from the New Delhi constituency. He also demanded to see the CCTV footage to find out who voted in his name.

However, this explanation was far from convincing. If his deletion request had been filed, why did the records still show active entries? Adding to the doubts, Khera soon deleted his post. Later, he reposted a video shared by ANI instead. These actions gave an impression of inconsistency and defensiveness rather than confidence in his own innocence.

A Larger Pattern of Electoral Irregularities

These cases are not being seen as isolated mistakes. They are being read as part of a larger history of irregularities linked to the Congress party. Critics argue that Congress leaders have repeatedly accused others of malpractice while themselves being connected to questionable practices.

History provides examples to back this claim. In 1980, even Sonia Gandhi’s name was found on the voter list before she officially became a citizen of India. That controversy raised serious questions at the time, and today, the revelations involving Pawan Khera and Kota Neelima appear to be a continuation of the same pattern.

From past incidents to the present duplications, a clear thread emerges. While Congress has accused others of manipulating voter rolls, evidence suggests that its own members have benefited from similar irregularities. The current controversy therefore strengthens the charge of hypocrisy, showing how the party’s slogans often clash with its own record.