Election Commission Rebuts Rahul Gandhi's Claims of Electoral Manipulation in Maharashtra as "Completely Absurd"

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Election Commission of India has called Rahul Gandhi's allegations regarding the Maharashtra polls 2024 as completely absurd and baseless. The Election Commission of India on its website gave point wise rebuttal to Rahul Gnadhi's claims and stated that "facts are completely being ignored" by Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi's Allegations

Gandhi claimed that the BJP used a five-step process to influence the election outcome:

1. Rigging the Election Commission Panel: Tampering with the panel responsible for appointing Election Commissioners.

2. Adding Fake Voters: Inflating voter rolls with fake voters.

3. Inflating Voter Turnout: Artificially increasing voter turnout numbers.

4. Targeted Bogus Voting: Focusing bogus voting in areas where the BJP needed to win.

5. Hiding Evidence: Concealing evidence of electoral manipulation.

Gandhi warned that such "match-fixing" could be repeated in other states, including Bihar, and termed it "poison" for democracy.

Election Commission's Response

The EC countered Gandhi's claims, stating that unsubstantiated allegations against electoral rolls are an affront to the rule of law. The poll body emphasized that facts were previously clarified in its response to the INC on December 24, 2024, available on the EC's website. The EC also criticized Gandhi's actions, saying they undermine the integrity of party-appointed representatives and demoralize election officials.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory with 235 seats, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 132 seats.¹