Rahul Gandhi Questions Election Commission on Maharashtra Polls

Election Commission Urged to Address Concerns

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi, a leader from the Congress party, asked the Election Commission to answer his questions. He had concerns about the Maharashtra elections. He shared these worries in an article that day. Gandhi thinks the Election Commission should answer if they have nothing to hide.

Claims of Election Irregularities

In an article in The Indian Express, Gandhi talked about “match-fixing” in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. These elections happened in November. He said there was large-scale cheating. This cheating involved important national institutions.

Election Commission’s Reply

The Election Commission said Gandhi’s claims were “completely absurd.” They explained that the whole election process happens with representatives from political parties present. This includes making the voter lists.

“Unproven claims against the Maharashtra voter lists are an insult to the rule of law.”

Gandhi’s Requests

Gandhi responded by saying that the Election Commission should not give unclear, unsigned notes to middlemen. He wants them to answer serious questions directly. He asked for:

• Digital, easy-to-read voter lists for recent elections, including the 2024 Maharashtra polls.
• All CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths after 5 pm on election day.

“Avoiding questions won’t protect your reputation. Telling the truth will.”

Doubts About Maharashtra Poll Results

Gandhi said in his article that the Maharashtra poll results were “very strange.” He thinks the cheating was so big that official numbers show evidence of it.

BJP’s Win

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance won against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes the Congress, in the Maharashtra elections.

Claims of Voter List Changes

Gandhi also said that the 2023 Election Commissioners Appointment Act let the prime minister and the Union home minister choose election commissioners. He thinks the second step in cheating was to add fake voters to the voter list.

Congress’ Earlier Statements

Gandhi repeated what his party said in February. The Congress wanted the Election Commission to explain how there were more registered voters than adults in Maharashtra.

Election Commission’s Defense

The Election Commission said it’s “completely absurd” that parties who lost are trying to harm its reputation. They explained that during the Maharashtra elections, an average of 5.8 million votes were cast each hour. So, 6.5 million votes in the last two hours is normal.

The Election Commission also said that Congress candidates or their agents did not report any strange voting.

During the voter list review, political parties appointed 103,727 agents. The Congress appointed 27,099 of these. The Election Commission concluded that these unproven claims against the Maharashtra voter lists are an insult to the rule of law.