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Were the 'vote chori' PDFs made in Myanmar, with Soros links?

In September 2025 BJP spokespersons cited file metadata to allege a foreign hand in Rahul Gandhi's vote theft presentation. Metadata of that kind cannot show where a file was made.

Published 9 Oct 2026Updated 9 Oct 20263 min readBy Facts of India

In September 2025 BJP spokespersons said the "vote chori" (vote theft) PDFs Rahul Gandhi used against the Election Commission were created in Myanmar, and one linked this to George Soros. There is no evidence for this: the claim rests only on a time-zone setting in the files' metadata, which does not show where a file was made.

No evidence

Claim: Metadata proves Congress's "vote chori" PDFs were made in Myanmar, showing foreign and Soros influence on Rahul Gandhi.

Said by: BJP spokespersons Pradeep Bhandari, Shehzad Poonawalla and R.P. Singh.

What the record shows: The only basis cited was an X post saying the PDFs' metadata showed a Myanmar time zone. No independent analysis of the files was published. IANS

Where the claim came from

From August 2025 Rahul Gandhi presented slides alleging manipulation of voter rolls, beginning with 1,00,250 alleged "stolen" votes in Mahadevapura in Bengaluru. The Week/PTI Congress later uploaded the supporting PDFs to its official website. IANS

Claim · BJP spokespersons, 11 September 2025 National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari flagged an X post saying the PDFs' metadata showed they were generated in the Myanmar time zone. Shehzad Poonawalla said an investigation had found the PDF was made outside India and that "this cannot be manipulated". He asked whether Gandhi was being "played around like a puppet" by foreign interests. R.P. Singh said: "This revelation has made it clear that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leaders are connected to Soros." IANS Amit Malviya separately said Gandhi was following a "George Soros playbook". FPJ

What the evidence shows

No evidence The IANS report does not describe the metadata itself, who analysed it or how. It presents no evidence of a Soros link beyond Poonawalla's reference to past Congress use of "Soros-based reports". No independent check of the files was published. IANS

A time-zone value in a document's metadata records the clock setting of the software or device that saved it. It does not record the place where the file was made, and settings can differ from a user's location. So even if the metadata showed a Myanmar time zone, that alone would not show the files were made in Myanmar or by anyone there.

IANS reported no response from Congress or Gandhi. IANS

Context

Gandhi's underlying figures have their own problems: no independent fact-check of the Mahadevapura numbers has been found, and the Election Commission asked him for a sworn affidavit. The Week/PTI But the Myanmar claim attacks where the files came from, not whether their contents are right. See our SIR and CEC protests page.

Questions people ask

Who said the vote chori PDFs were made in Myanmar?

BJP spokespersons Pradeep Bhandari, Shehzad Poonawalla and R.P. Singh, on 11 September 2025, citing an X post about the files' metadata.

Can PDF metadata show where a file was made?

No. A time-zone value reflects a clock setting, not a physical location.

Is there a Soros link to the vote chori campaign?

No evidence of one has been published. R.P. Singh asserted a link, but cited only the Myanmar metadata claim.

Sources

  1. IANS: BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi, Congress of using Myanmar-made vote theft PDFs, 11 Sept 2025
  2. FPJ: Rahul Gandhi following George Soros playbook, says Amit Malviya, 2025
  3. The Week/PTI: Rahul Gandhi's Mahadevapura allegations, 7 Aug 2025
  4. The Week/PTI: CEC gives Rahul Gandhi seven days for affidavit, 17 Aug 2025