Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) strongly rebutted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “match-fixing” in the Maharashtra elections, calling his claims absurd, baseless, and demoralizing. Officials stated that such accusations not only undermine the integrity of the electoral process, but also discredit thousands of government officials and even the Congress party’s own polling agents who worked on the ground.
“Any misinformation being spread is a sign of disrespect towards the law. After an unfavorable verdict, trying to defame the EC is completely absurd,” an EC official told Times of India.
Rahul Gandhi’s Public Criticism Avoids Direct Communication
The EC expressed dismay that Rahul Gandhi has consistently chosen public platforms—including party meetings, Parliament, foreign interactions, and op-eds—to level accusations, instead of formally communicating with the Election Commission.
“If he’s genuinely aggrieved, why doesn’t he write to us or seek a meeting?” asked an official.
In response to his criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) appointment process, EC officials pointed out that it was the current Modi government that amended the law to include the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the selection committee—a first in Indian history.
“All appointments under previous Congress governments were made solely by the Executive,” an official said.
On Voting Numbers and Alleged Roll Irregularities
The EC clarified that in the Maharashtra polls, voter turnout was robust. With an average of 58 lakh votes polled per hour between 7 AM and 6 PM, officials said that 116 lakh votes could have been cast in the final two hours—well over the 65 lakh votes that were actually recorded during that time.
Regarding alleged voter roll discrepancies, the EC pointed out that the Congress party had over 27,000 booth-level agents (BLAs) involved in the entire summary revision process in Maharashtra.
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Electoral Roll Growth Since Last Polls:
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Maharashtra: +8.1%
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Jharkhand: +13.4%
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Telangana: +16.2%
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The EC noted that Congress won both Jharkhand and Telangana, despite similar or higher increases in electoral rolls, which weakens the logic behind singling out Maharashtra.
Even after the final electoral roll was published, only 89 appeals were made at the district level and just one at the CEO level—India’s final appellate authority for elections. Furthermore, Congress agents did not raise any formal objectionsduring the mandatory post-poll scrutiny held the day after voting.
