Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav to debate ‘Vote chori’ in special Parliament session

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to take their allegations of “vote chori” to Parliament, asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ready for a special session to discuss the Election Commission row.

Addressing the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh working committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah accused the Opposition of refusing to engage in a parliamentary debate and choosing street protests instead.

He said the BJP had nothing to hide and was prepared to discuss every allegation raised against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

#WATCH | Lucknow | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "...'Rahul Baba,' I challenge both you and Akhilesh Yadav right here and now: the Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this (CEC-SIR row) in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament—but they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus" In Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government after securing the highest number of seats. In Maharashtra, the NDA formed the government with the largest share of seats. In Bihar, for the first time, a Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party took office. In Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government after three decades. In Puducherry, the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government once again. In Assam, we achieved a hat-trick by winning 100 seats, and in Bengal, we completely wiped out Mamata Didi. After the events in Bengal, they have realised that they simply cannot win elections. Naturally, when a team loses a match or a game, they should sit down and practice more—that is what is expected, isn't it? But 'Rahul Baba' is cut from a different cloth. The same goes for Akhilesh and others in the 'INDIA' alliance who are with him. Instead of accepting defeat, they began accusing the umpire of cheating, claiming that votes were stolen. 'Rahul Baba,' I challenge both you and Akhilesh Yadav right here and now: the Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament—but they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus"

— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2026

‘Rahul baba, let’s discuss this in Parliament’

Issuing a direct challenge to the two Opposition leaders, Shah said the BJP was willing to convene a special session of Parliament to address the allegations.

“Rahul Baba, I challenge both you and Akhilesh Yadav right here and now: the Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament, but they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus,” Shah said.

The Home Minister alleged that the Opposition was unwilling to debate the issue inside the House and was instead creating disruptions and staging demonstrations on the streets.

Amit Shah takes a swipe at opposition over election losses

Shah also targeted the Congress and the Samajwadi Party over their electoral performance, drawing a comparison with the BJP’s victories across several states.

Referring to the BJP’s performance in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal, Shah said the party had secured victories and formed governments, while Opposition leaders continued to question the electoral process.

He said the BJP had formed the government in Haryana after winning the highest number of seats, while the NDA secured the largest share of seats in Maharashtra. In Bihar, a BJP leader became Chief Minister for the first time, and the party returned to power in Delhi after three decades.

Shah also referred to the BJP’s return to power in Puducherry, its third consecutive victory in Assam and its electoral success in West Bengal, where he claimed the party had defeated Mamata Banerjee’s political establishment.

‘When a team loses, it should practise more’

Using a cricket analogy, Shah said political parties should focus on improving their performance after losing elections rather than blaming the electoral process.

“After the events in Bengal, they have realised that they simply cannot win elections. Naturally, when a team loses a match or a game, they should sit down and practise more; that is what is expected, isn’t it?” he said.

Taking another swipe at Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, Shah accused them of blaming the umpire after electoral defeats rather than accepting the results.

He said the Opposition’s allegations of vote theft were an attempt to shift the blame for its electoral setbacks.

The remarks come amid an escalating confrontation between the BJP and the INDIA bloc over allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls and demands for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Opposition has intensified its campaign against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise, with Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders accusing the poll body of undermining electoral fairness.

The INDIA bloc’s proposed public impeachment programme against Gyanesh Kumar, scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Saturday due to rain in Delhi.