"If vote theft happens, it's possible that people might take to streets": SP chief Akhilesh Yadav warns of Nepal-like unrest in India

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 12 (ANI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday warned the Election Commission that attempts to commit vote theft could lead to public unrest, drawing parallels with neighbouring country, Nepal's Gen Z protest.
Without naming Nepal in a press conference, he stressed that the Election Commission should ensure that no vote is stolen.
"It's the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure that no vote is stolen anywhere... Everyone knows that when they couldn't win elections through vote theft, they tried to stop the vote with the power of a revolver... If such incidents happen, it's possible that people here might take to the streets, just like what happened in our neighbouring countries," said the SP chief.
The INDIA bloc, led by Congress and Rahul Gandhi, has been vocal about alleged "vote chori" or vote theft. Rahul Gandhi claimed large-scale electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, particularly in Karnataka's Bangalore Central constituency, citing over 1 lakh fake voters.
He outlined alleged methods of vote manipulation, including duplicate voters, fake addresses, bulk registrations, invalid photos, and Form 6 misuse.
The Congress initiated the "Vote Chori" campaign with a dedicated website (votechori.in) and call-in number, urging citizens to support demands for transparent voter rolls.
The INDIA bloc, including Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, backs the campaign, planning events like the Vote Adhikaar Yatra in Bihar, which is due for elections shortly.
The EC termed Gandhi's claims "false and misleading," asking him to submit a sworn declaration or apologise, citing voter roll availability in PDF format for privacy concerns.
This is not the first time an opposition leader has expressed the possibility of a Nepal-like protest in India against the Union Government.
Earlier on September 10, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut cautioned against a similar thing happening in India while referring to the anti-corruption protests in Nepal.
Raut alleged the "fire in Nepal", which has been lit against corruption, dictatorship, and nepotism, could happen in India too, but the reason that no violence has occurred is because people believe in the non-violent ideology of Mahatma Gandhi. He alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government is "surviving because of Gandhi's ideology."
"If this spark comes to India then India is a big country, the India which has survived till today just because Mahatma Gandhi was born here, even today people believe in Gandhi, that's why these people are surviving. No matter how much you abuse Gandhi, Modi ji your government is surviving because of Gandhi's ideology," Raut told ANI.
The death toll from the ongoing Gen Z protests in Nepal has claimed 51 lives, as per the latest figures released by the country's Ministry of Health and Population on Friday.
Of these, 30 individuals were killed by gunshots, while 21 others succumbed to burns, wounds, and other injuries, the ministry confirmed.
The protests began on September 8, 2025, in Kathmandu and other major cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, and Birgunj, following the government's imposition of a ban on major social media platforms, citing concerns over tax revenue and cybersecurity.
Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the agency ranking Lucknow third in cleanliness, alleging damage to Lucknow, Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan.
"An FIR should be filed against the agency that has ranked Lucknow third in cleanliness. They have ruined Lucknow, Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan. Everything has been ruined," he said. (ANI)