Rahul Gandhi Fires Back At EC, Demands Answers Over 'Unsigned, Evasive Notes'
Rahul Gandhi Fires Back At EC, Demands Answers Over 'Unsigned, Evasive Notes'
M.U.H
08/06/202534
War of words erupted between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over Gandhi's claim of a "rigged" Maharashtra assembly election, which escalated after the EC called it "unsubstantiated". On Saturday, Gandhi hit back at the election body, saying the EC should answer the questions raised in his article instead of issuing "unsigned, evasive notes".
Gandhi accused the constitutional body of releasing "unsigned, evasive notes" in response to serious questions raised by him. Gandhi demanded that the EC answer the questions raised in his article and prove its credibility by publishing crucial election data.
"If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by: Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra. Releasing all post-5pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths," he said.
What ECI said
The Election Commission (EC) dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations that the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a blueprint for rigging democracy, stating that claims of "inflated voter turnout" and "fake voters" were "unsubstantiated".
"...unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission brought out all these facts in its reply to INC on 24th December 2024 itself which is available on ECI’s website," the election body said.
Rahul Gandhi's Claim
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP secured victory in the Maharashtra elections through widespread electoral rigging and warned that a similar pattern could be repeated in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
“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: Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate voter turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence,” he wrote in a post on X.
Meanwhile, BJP National President JP Nadda also rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegation and called his article a blueprint for "manufacturing fake narratives".
