'Looks Like Malicious Intent': ECI Sources Rebut Maharashtra Poll Charges Made By Rahul Gandhi At US Event

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Last Updated:April 22, 2025, 17:11 IST

Rahul Gandhi, successful his latest sojourn to the United States, alleged that the Maharashtra electoral rolls were tampered with to payment the BJP past year

Congress person Rahul Gandhi. (File image: PTI)

Days aft Congress person Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India of vitiating the electoral process, the ECI has travel retired with a beardown rebuttal.

“Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not lone a motion of disrespect towards the instrumentality but besides brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their ain governmental enactment and demotivates lakhs of predetermination unit who enactment untiringly and transparently during elections. After immoderate unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised is wholly absurd," apical officials of the canvass sheet said.

Rahul Gandhi, successful his latest sojourn to the United States, alleged that the Maharashtra electoral rolls were tampered with to payment the BJP past year.

“It is precise wide to america that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is precise wide that determination is thing incorrect with the system. I person said this aggregate times," said the person of the absorption successful the Lok Sabha.

The Congress lawmaker said much radical voted successful the Maharashtra assembly predetermination than determination were adults successful the state.

“The Election Commission gave america a voting fig for 5.30 pm, and betwixt 5.30 p.m. and 7.30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible… For a elector to vote, it takes astir 3 minutes, and if you bash the math, it would mean that determination were lines of voters till 2 am, but this did not happen," helium said.

The Congress person besides said that erstwhile asked for the videography, the ECI “not lone refused but besides changed the instrumentality truthful that present we are not allowed to inquire for the videography".

The predetermination panel, though, dismissed the charges and asked wherefore polling agents appointed by the Congress didn’t rise concerns earlier the returning serviceman astatine the close time.

“In each polling booth, the voting progressed successful beforehand of the polling agents formally appointed by candidates/political parties. The INC’s nominated candidates oregon their authorised agents person not raised immoderate substantiated allegations with regards to immoderate benignant of abnormal voting astatine the clip of scrutiny earlier the Returning Officer (RO) and the Election Observers connected the adjacent day," ECI sources said.

The apex assemblage for elections successful India contended that determination is nary merit successful the complaint that elector turnout abruptly went up successful the past hr of the voting window. “During assembly elections successful Maharashtra, 6,40,87,588 electors, who reached the polling presumption from 7 americium to 6 pm, voted. About 58 lakh votes were polled per hr connected average. Going by these mean trends, astir 116 lakh voters could person voted successful the past 2 hours. Therefore, the casting of 65 lakh votes by electors successful 2 hours is overmuch beneath the mean hourly voting trends," officials said.

Clarifying connected the complaint of electoral rotation manipulation, ECI officials pointed retired that determination was lone 1 entreaty filed by the Congress successful Maharashtra astatine the appellate stage, showing that their grievance astir the electoral rolls was an afterthought, post-defeat.

“After the finalisation of these electoral rolls during Maharashtra elections, arsenic against 9,77,90,752 electors, lone a full of 89 appeals were filed earlier the 1st appellate authorization (DM), and lone 1 entreaty was filed earlier the 2nd appellate authorization (CEO). Therefore, it is amply wide that determination was nary grievance of the INC oregon immoderate different governmental parties earlier the behaviour of Maharashtra assembly elections successful 2024," said the sources.

The ECI officials further said that during the revision of electoral rolls, for 1,00,427 polling booths, on with 97,325 booth-level officers appointed by the EROs, a full of 1,03,727 booth-level agents were besides appointed by each governmental parties, including 27,099 by the Congress.

“Therefore, these unsubstantiated allegations raised against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the regularisation of law," they said.

Contending that each polls are being held arsenic per the regularisation of law, ECI sources said that each details astir Maharashtra person been disposable connected the Election Commission website since December 2024, truthful repeating the charges without looking astatine the clarification looks similar malicious intent.

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First Published:

April 22, 2025, 17:01 IST

News elections 'Looks Like Malicious Intent': ECI Sources Rebut Maharashtra Poll Charges Made By Rahul Gandhi At US Event