Did Rahul Gandhi Say Children’s Names Were Removed from Bihar Voter List? No, Viral Quote Is Fabricated

A viral graphic on social media, featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleges that he said some children in Bihar, around ages six and seven, told him that their names were removed from the voter list. The claim is false. Rahul Gandhi never said that children’s names were removed from the voter list. His actual remarks on separate issues have been merged and misrepresented online.

An archived version of that post can be seen here.

Evidence

NDTV’s Report

A keyword search led to a video published on NDTV’s YouTube channel on Aug 25, 2024, where Rahul Gandhi is heard saying:
“A strange thing is happening here. Small children are coming and whispering in my ear—‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod.’ They are not adults, they are 6-year-old kids. Even they understand the issue.”

Full video here:

Rahul Gandhi’s Press Conference

The full press conference uploaded on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel on August 24, 2024, confirms the same. At timestamp 18:15, he makes the above remark about children.

At 17:45 in the same video, Rahul Gandhi can be heard saying, “The Election Commission should visit Bihar. We are meeting people who are still alive but have been declared dead, voted 5-6 times, but their names have been removed from the voter list. A while ago, a person on the roadside told me that his name had been removed from the voter list. The Election Commission should visit Bihar and check.” He does mention voter list issues, but in the context of adults in Bihar being wrongly declared dead or having their names removed, not children, which further confirmed that two separate statements from Gandhi were combined to create a fake quote. 

Watch the clip here:

What is the Voter Adhikar Yatra?

Rahul Gandhi launched the march on August 17, 2024, from Sasaram, Bihar. It protests alleged large-scale name deletions from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and allegations of vote rigging against the BJP.

Verdict

Rahul Gandhi did not claim that children’s names were removed from Bihar’s voter list. His remarks about children were limited to them chanting slogans, while his voter list concerns were related to adults.

At A Glance

Q1. Did Rahul Gandhi say children’s names were removed from the Bihar voter list?
No. He spoke about children chanting political slogans but never claimed their names were deleted from electoral rolls.
Q2. What did Rahul Gandhi actually say about the voter list?
He said that many adults in Bihar reported their names being wrongly removed or marked as dead, and asked the Election Commission to investigate.
Q3. Why is the viral post misleading?
It mixes Gandhi’s comments about children chanting slogans with his separate statement about voter list issues, creating a false narrative.
Q4. What is the Voter Adhikar Yatra?
It is a 16-day march by Rahul Gandhi across Bihar to protest alleged electoral irregularities and voter list deletions.
Q5. When will the yatra end?
The march will conclude in Patna on September 1, 2025.

Sources
Video by NDTV, dated August 25, 2025
Video by Rahul Gandhi, dated August 24, 2025