On 25th August, yet another allegation of “vote theft” collapsed after the voter at the centre of the controversy, Pradeep Poraji, spoke exclusively to OpIndia and accused The Hindu and Rajdeep Sardesai of defaming him. Poraji’s name was quoted in a report published by The Hindu based on a claim made by a defeated MVA candidate and shared by Sardesai. The report claimed that Poraji voted twice at two different places.
Article shared by @sardesairajdeep Rajdeep Sardesai quotes the defeated MVA candidate of Panvel constituency accusing one Pradeep Poraji of voting at two places. Pradeep spoke exclusively to OpIndia and expressed shock and anger over such charges.
— OpIndia.tv (@OpIndia_tv) August 25, 2025
Another #VoteChori allegation… pic.twitter.com/McfGl474FC
What The Hindu reported on Panvel voter duplication
According to the report in The Hindu, voter duplication was one of the most serious issues in the Panvel Assembly constituency. Defeated MVA candidate Balaram Patil claimed that thousands of names were listed more than once in the electoral rolls. The report claimed that individuals, including Poraji, appeared twice with different EPIC IDs and allegedly cast their votes at separate booths. This was presented as part of a broader pattern of what the Congress Party and its allies have called “Vote Chori” across Maharashtra.
Rajdeep Sardesai pushed The Hindu’s propaganda
Accusing Poraji and others of double voting, Rajdeep Sardesai wrote on X, “BIG: a seasoned opposition candidate from Panvel constituency in Maharashtra 2024 elections has provided hard ‘evidence’ of duplicate voters in his constituency running into several thousands . Most importantly, Balaram Patil actually complained with ‘proof’ BEFORE the elections but local officials did not act. Maharashtra SEC and ECI cannot stay silent any longer. They must respond and clear the air. Credibility of voting process is at stake.”
Earlier, Sardesai tried to use India Today’s report to amplify “vote chori” claims of Rahul Gandhi but the report itself had debunked the claims.
‘I voted only in my village’
While speaking to OpIndia, Poraji dismissed the charges outright and clarified that he had cast his vote only once in his native Dhansar village. He said, “I voted only in my village. That is Dhansar village. Our family has always lived in Dhansar. Our home is Dhansar.” He rejected the suggestion that his name was registered in another village called Papdicha Pada under Kharghar.
ECI’s revision of voter list defended
Poraji backed the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to revise the voter list and weed out anomalies. Calling the process “absolutely right” he said, “Those unnecessary and extra names must be removed. Those who are no more and those having their names twice should be removed from the list.”
Ink makes double voting impossible
He also dismissed the practicality of the allegation and pointed out that the indelible ink applied during voting prevents such malpractice. He said, “No question of double voting, we apply voting ink. It does not fade away so easily. It remains for 2–3 days at least.”
‘This is sheer defamation’
Poraji expressed anger at the media coverage and termed the allegations “sheer defamation”. He accused the media of exploiting his name to malign the ECI and create false propaganda. “Yes, it is wrong to do so. It is sheer defamation and nothing else, that too for no reason,” he said.
The incident has exposed yet another baseless allegation of “vote chori” by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, propagated further by the opposition parties to target ECI, with the voter himself rubbishing the claim and showing trust in the electoral process.
