EC hits back at Gandhi over allegations

Hindustan Times

23-04-2025

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of abnormal voter turnout in the last two hours of the assembly polls in Maharashtra, asserting the party did not flag any such abnormality during or after voting, even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that Gandhi's remark on the poll body was an attempt to deflect attention from the National Herald case.
The ECI response comes days after the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged at an event in the US on Sunday that the poll body is 'compromised'. The former Congress chief said that according to ECI data, more people voted in the November 20, 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections than there were adults in the state.
'The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5.30 pm, and between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm, 65 lakh (6.5 million) 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,' Gandhi had said, while addressing the Indian diaspora at an event in Boston.
Rejecting the claims, ECI underlined that 6.40 crore (64 million) electors who reached the polling stations from 7 am to 6 pm voted in the Maharashtra polls, which effectively meant about 58 lakh (5.8 million) votes were polled per hour on an hour.
'Going by these average trends, nearly 116 lakh (11.6 million) voters could have voted in the last two hours. Therefore, casting of 65 lakh (6.5 million) votes by electors in two hours is much below the average hourly voting trend,' ECI said in a statement.
The Congress leader had also alleged that when they asked ECI for videos, the request was not only refused but also the law was changed. '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,' Gandhi had alleged.
ECI officials rejected the claims, stating that at every polling booth, voting was conducted in the presence of polling agents formally appointed by candidates or political parties. 'Indian National Congress's nominated candidates or their authorised agents have not raised any substantiated allegations regarding abnormal voting during scrutiny before the Returning Officer and the Election Observers the next day,' an official said, requesting anonymity.
According to ECI, after the finalisation of electoral rolls last year for the Maharashtra elections, out of 97.79 million electors, only 89 appeals were filed before the first appellate authority, the district magistrate, and only one was filed before the second appellate authority, the chief electoral officer.
'Therefore, it is amply clear that there was no grievance from the INC or any other political party before the conduct of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections in 2024,' ECI said.
It added: '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. After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd.'
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli slammed Gandhi over his remarks on ECI, accusing the Congress lawmaker of attempting to divert attention from the National Herald case, in which Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet naming Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as accused in connection with its ₹988-crore money laundering probe.
'Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the Election Commission and democracy in India and conduct of elections establish that the Congress is trying to divert attention from the National Herald case by attacking institutions,' Kohli alleged, while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
Kohli said ECI has an impeccable record, and many, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have won elections.
'For their own political and personal reasons, the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress party are willing to attack even the institutions of India,' he added.