Following Opposition leader in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's post on X claiming 'fraud' in Maharashtra's upcoming elections in November 2024, the Election Commission of India meticulously countered his claims, stating that facts are being completely ignored. The ECI emphasized, 'The baseless accusations against Maharashtra's voter list are an affront to the rule of law. These facts were laid out to Congress on December 24, 2024, and are accessible on the ECI's website. It seems these facts are consistently overlooked when such issues are raised.'
What Did Rahul Gandhi Claim About the Maharashtra Election?
Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of rigging the Maharashtra assembly election through a systematic five-step process. He alleged a collusion between the Election Commission and BJP, accusing exaggerated voter turnout. The Congress leader warned that this pattern might recur in the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections. On social media platform X, he shared a link to an article describing systematic electoral manipulation in Maharashtra. In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election, the BJP-led Grand Alliance recorded a significant victory, securing 235 out of 288 seats, marking a pivotal milestone with BJP emerging as the largest party with 132 seats.
ECI Denounces Rahul Gandhi's Allegations as Absurd
Rebuffing Rahul Gandhi's claims, the ECI stated that the Congress leader repeatedly ignores facts. The Election Commission pointed out that such factless accusations not only disregard the law but also challenge the integrity of thousands of party-appointed representatives, demotivating millions of election officials who relentlessly and transparently conduct electoral operations. It is absolutely absurd to attempt discrediting the Election Commission by alleging a 'compromise' following unfavorable election results, due to lack of voter support for one's party.
Five-Step Process Alleged Electoral Fraud: Rahul Gandhi
Opposition leader outlined the alleged irregularities in Maharashtra election. Sharing an article he authored, Rahul Gandhi alleged that fake voters were added to the voter list, voter turnout was exaggerated, fake voting was facilitated, and evidence was subsequently concealed. He remarked, 'How to steal an election? The 2024 Maharashtra assembly election was a blueprint in democratic manipulation. My article details how it happened step by step. Step 1: Manipulation in Election Commission appointments. Step 2: Fake voters added to the list. Step 3: Voter turnout figures were inflated. Step 4: Fake voting conducted at booths where BJP had to win. Step 5: Evidence was concealed.'
The opposition leader continued, 'It's not hard to understand BJP's desperation in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the cheating side might win the game. However, it damages institutions and erodes public trust in them. All concerned Indians should view the evidence, judge for themselves, and demand answers. Because the match-fixing in Maharashtra will now happen in Bihar, and wherever else BJP faces a loss.'
Election Commission Responds to Rahul Gandhi's Allegations
The ECI dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations, stating, 'Voter lists in India, including Maharashtra, are prepared according to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. As per law, voter lists are revised either just before elections and/or annually, and final copies are distributed to all national/state political parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC).' Further, the ECI added, 'Post-finalization of these voter lists for Maharashtra elections, there were just 89 appeals filed with the First Appellate Authority (DM) and only 1 with the Second Appellate Authority (CEO) out of 9,77,90,752 voters. Thus, it's clear there was no complaint about the voter list from Congress or any other party before the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.'
The Election Commission further explained, 'During the Maharashtra assembly election, a total of 6,40,87,588 voters cast their votes from 7 AM to 6 PM. Approximately 58 lakh votes were cast per hour on average. Based on these trends, around 1.16 crore voters would have voted in the last two hours. Therefore, 65 lakh votes being cast by voters in two hours is significantly below the hourly average voting trends. Moreover, voting at each polling station occurred in the presence of duly appointed polling agents by candidates/political parties. Congress’s nominated candidates or authorized agents did not lodge any substantiated allegations of irregular voting to Returning Officers (RO) and election observers during scrutiny the next day.'
