Election Commission's Point-Wise Rebuttal To Rahul Gandhi's 'Rigged' Maharashtra Election Claim

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election was a "blueprint for rigging democracy". He claimed the "match-fixing" of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and anywhere the BJP is losing. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has hit back at the Congress leader with a point-wise rebuttal, calling his allegations "absurd".

Responding to Rahul Gandhi's allegations, the EC said that “facts are completely being ignored.” "After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd," the Election Commission said.

The EC pointed out that the nominated candidates of the Congress party or their authorised agents "have not raised any substantiated allegations with regard to any kind of abnormal voting."

"After the finalisation of these Electoral Rolls during Maharashtra elections, as against 9,77,90,752 Electors, only a total of 89 appeals were filed before the 1st appellate authority (DM) and only 1 appeal was filed before the 2nd appellate authority (CEO). Therefore, it is amply clear that there was no grievance of INC or any other political parties before the conduct of Maharashtra Assembly Elections in 2024," it said.

"During the revision of Electoral Rolls, for 1,00,427 Polling Booths, along with 97,325 Booth Level Officers appointed by the EROs, 1,03,727 Booth Level Agents were also appointed by all Political Parties, including 27,099 by INC. Therefore, these unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to INC on 24th December 2024 itself which is available on ECI’s website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again," it added.

The EC said that "any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards Law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections."

Gandhi on Saturday had alleged that the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a "blueprint for rigging democracy".

Posting on X, his article titled 'Match-fixing in Maharashtra', published in the Indian Express, the Congress leader accused the ruling BJP of stealing the assembly elections held in the state last year. "How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step. It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroys public faith in the result," he charged.

"All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers. Because the match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing," Gandhi said.

Hitting back, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress leader of resorting to attacking democratic institutions under a well-planned conspiracy, as he knows that his party is set to suffer defeat in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.

"Rahul Gandhi knows he's losing Bihar and, like always, he's resorted to a well-planned conspiracy: attacking democratic institutions to pre-empt his defeat," the BJP spokesperson wrote on X, reacting to the Congress leader's charge. "Unable to win the trust of the people, he is now trying to undermine the trust of the people in the electoral process itself," he alleged, adding, "Rahul Gandhi is anti-democracy.

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