Unsubstantiated: Poll body rejects Rahul Gandhi's claims on Maharashtra elections

India Today

22-04-2025

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has refuted the allegations of bias and malpractice in the 2022 Maharashtra Assembly elections, calling recent claims by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the United States "completely absurd" and 'unsubstantiated'.In a strongly-worded six-point factual rebuttal, the poll panel sought to put the record straight amid ongoing accusations from the Opposition.Rahul Gandhi, who went to the US on April 19, asserted that "It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that there is something wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times".advertisement
"The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5.30 pm, and between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible... For a voter to vote, it takes approximately three minutes, and if you do the math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 am, but this did not happen," he said while speaking at an event in Boston.POLL BODY'S 6-POINT REBUTTALThe Election Commission condemned what it called a trend of political parties discrediting the commission after electoral losses. "It is completely absurd that parties start pointing fingers at the Commission and spreading misinformation once they lose," it said in an official statement.Addressing allegations of suspicious vote surges in the final hours of polling, the commission presented data showing that voting trends were well within statistical norms. Over 6.4 crore voters cast their ballots between 7 am and 6 pm — averaging 58 lakh votes per hour, it said. Based on that, up to 1.16 crore voters could have cast votes in the final two hours. Instead, only 65 lakh votes were recorded during that period -- below average, not unusually high, the poll panel asserted. advertisementThe election body also questioned the credibility of Congress's claims by pointing out that no formal objections were raised at the time of polling or during the scrutiny process. All votes, it said, were cast in the presence of authorised polling agents from various parties. No complaints were submitted by Congress representatives before Returning Officers or Election Observers."Why was nothing flagged at the time? No objectionable conduct was reported on the ground, the commission said.Refuting claims of tampered electoral rolls, the Election Commission emphasised that India's voter lists are prepared under the Representation of People Act, 1950, following strict legal procedures. All political parties, including Congress, had access to finalised rolls after the Special Summary Revision, it claimed. Moreover, after publication of the final rolls in Maharashtra, only 89 appeals were made before District Magistrates out of nearly 9.78 crore electors, just one of which reached the Chief Electoral Officer. "The silence of political parties before polling speaks volumes," the poll panel remarked.The Commission reminded critics that over 97,000 Booth Level Officers and 1.03 lakh Booth Level Agents were deployed across 1 lakh polling booths in Maharashtra. Of these, 27,099 were Congress-appointed agents, it said, adding that these agents had full access and visibility into the process.advertisement"To question the integrity of the rolls and process now is to insult the vigilance of these very agents," the poll body added.In a final point, the Commission expressed concern over the repetitive nature of the allegations, many of which it said had been thoroughly addressed in a public response dated December 24, 2024. "Baseless claims erode public trust and demoralise thousands of honest officials and party workers who ensure free and fair elections," it said.Must Watch