Rahul Gandhi Posed Uncomfortable Questions Over SIR At Party Meet: Sources

A few days ago, Rahul Gandhi, in a social media post, said he "loves swimming in the sea when it's rough", adding it is just another kind of calm.

At the Tuesday meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top-decision making body, the 56-year-old leader put that in practice: raising uncomfortable questions in front of senior party leaders. 

The Congress leader spotlighted how he has been raising the "vote theft" issue over the last two years, without much support from party's own members.

"For the past two years, I have been speaking about vote theft. Initially, our own people did not seem to agree, but today, after two years, the majority are in agreement," sources said, quoting Rahul Gandhi.

The comments came a week after an Indian Express report claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over 10 months, between October 2025 and August 2026, to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls, many of which, they said, were taken without their knowledge.

In its defence, the Election Commission clarified that internal technical notes and written queries are standard procedure in a multi-member body. It assured that all final decisions regarding the SIR process were taken unanimously and had full legal sanction.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi also remarked that many leaders within the party remain "preoccupied with analysis" rather than forcefully raising the EVM issue.

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2026

He instructed the leaders, sources said, to raise this issue with confidence.

A leader present at the meeting stated off the record that Rahul Gandhi singled out several leaders, signaling that they too should align with the stance on the SIR issue.

According to Congress sources, several senior leaders at Tuesday's meeting suggested holding major protests and rallies regarding the reported dissent between Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission concerning the 'SIR' process and decision-making.

Sources said there were divided opinions within the Congress regarding the issue of "vote theft" raised by Rahul Gandhi, while many leaders supported his allegations, others did not like the situation surrounding the EVM issue.

High-level sources indicate that several Congress leaders did not back Rahul Gandhi's campaign and stance on vote theft. Sources close to the matter suggest that Rahul Gandhi is aware that, on various occasions and issues, many Congress leaders have not supported his position. In the past as well, Rahul Gandhi has been seen issuing directives to party leaders and taking a stern stance regarding their attitude, sources said.

Rahul Gandhi has previously raised concerns regarding the functioning and attitudes of party leaders in CWC meetings.

Top sources told NDTV that the Congress party has recently undergone a significant shift in its operational approach: there is now active monitoring of leaders supporting Rahul Gandhi's views or vigorously backing the issues he raises.

Every aspect - from a leader's social media timeline to their specific actions - is scrutinised to see who shares tweets, who amplifies Rahul Gandhi's message, and what their opinions are, sources said, indicating that even those who disagree are being monitored.