A viral graphic falsely claims Rahul Gandhi said children in Bihar told him their names were cut from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
BOOM found the quote was fabricated by merging two separate remarks.
On August 17, 2025, Gandhi began a 16-day, 1,300 km ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ across 20 Bihar districts against alleged voter roll manipulation. The yatra is set to conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1.
The Claim: Gandhi claimed 6–7 year olds complained their names were removed from voter rolls in Bihar.
The viral graphic has a photo of Gandhi with the quote reading, "6-7 boys come to me and whisper in my ear, ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chod,’ because their names have been cut from the voter lists.""
This was posted on X by the handle @BefittingFacts. BOOM has previously fact-checked this handle for posting misinformation.
Click here to view an archive.
What We Found:
1. Original Press Conference Statement: BOOM checked Gandhi’s August 24 press conference in Araria, Bihar. At the 17:33 minute mark, responding to a question on the Election Commission’s claim that only dead or migrated voters were removed, Gandhi said, “They (EC) should roam around here in Bihar. Every day we are meeting people who are alive but stated dead on SIR, have voted 5–6 times before but their name has been deleted. Don’t know what the Election Commission is talking about. Now outside on the road someone told me that their name has been deleted.”
2. Separate Remark on Children: At the 18:30 minute mark, Gandhi then continues saying, “A very interesting thing is coming out, which was not there in my last two Yatras. Children are coming and…they are saying in my ears ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd’ (Vote robbers, leave power). They are not adults, they are minors. Now, a child aged six years has come to know, and not just one, thousands… Now, the Election Commission should go and talk to these children. They will get to know…the children of Bihar are now politically active.”
These were two distinct statements. Gandhi said that adults told him their names were deleted during SIR, and children were now politically aware of the yatra. The viral graphic falsely merged them to create a fabricated quote.
The press conference can be seen below:
