Rahul Gandhi put my family’s security at risk: Palwal Zila Parishad chairman

A modest home in Hodal, Palwal district, has become the unexpected centre of national attention after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited it as an example of alleged “vote chori” in Haryana.

During his recent press conference, Gandhi accused the BJP of stealing 2.5 million votes in the 2024 Assembly elections and mentioned House No. 150 in Hodal, claiming that 66 voters were registered at the same address.

However, the house belongs to the extended family of Palwal Zila Parishad chairman Umesh Gudrana, whose relatives have now found themselves at the heart of a political storm.

Soon after Gandhi’s remarks, the quiet neighbourhood was flooded with media vans and YouTubers, prompting Gudrana to issue a rebuttal.

“Rahul Gandhi has the wrong facts and wrong records. He doesn’t understand how Indian joint families work and thus makes such baseless inferences,” Gudrana said.

Explaining the large number of voters at the same address, he said, “Our grandfather had four brothers. They have lived in Gudrana village for 80-100 years. My father has nine brothers and their children and grandchildren live in the same patch. Even if we count four votes from each house, the total adds up easily. We are natives, not outsiders brought in for elections. We haven’t rented land or built fake houses.”

Gudrana further pointed out that the same number of registered voters existed even when the Congress was in power. “This address and its residents have been verified in every election. Congress never noticed the high number of votes when they were winning. These votes were neither created by the BJP government nor by the Election Commission. There are around 4,000 voters in our village. My uncles and their sons have been sarpanches here,” he said.

Calling Rahul Gandhi’s remarks a “propaganda campaign”, Gudrana said they had endangered his family’s safety.

“Without verifying our credentials, he put the spotlight on us. Since yesterday, the house has become a tourist spot — from YouTubers to media people camping outside. It puts our privacy, security and reputation at stake. Rahul needs to get his homework right before doing publicity stunts,” Gudrana said.

Meanwhile, another address mentioned by Gandhi — House No. 265 in Hodal — has also drawn media curiosity. The property spans around 30 acres and comprises over 200 houses and schools, further complicating Gandhi’s claim of fake voter entries.