Is Rahul Gandhi's Claim About Maharashtra Poll Rigging Baseless?

New Delhi, June 7 (NationPress) A political uproar sparked by Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi regarding alleged discrepancies in the Maharashtra electoral rolls has been deemed 'unfounded' by sources within the Election Commission on Saturday.

According to an official source, the revision process for the Maharashtra electoral rolls was conducted under the supervision of 1,03,727 Booth Level Agents appointed by various political parties, including 27,099 agents from the Indian National Congress (INC) itself. The source emphasized that there is no justification for the Congress leader's insinuation regarding the integrity of the electoral process.

The Election Commission follows a meticulous procedure for updating electoral rolls, ensuring that any changes, whether additions or deletions, are carried out strictly in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of the Electors Rules, 1960, along with relevant instructions issued by the Commission over time.

In a recent article published in a major national newspaper, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of 'match-fixing' during the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

This article has sparked a political debate, with opposition parties claiming it lays bare the alleged extent of electoral manipulation in the forthcoming 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and highlights the Election Commission's 'silence' on crucial issues raised by the opposition alliance.

However, Election Commission sources refuted Rahul Gandhi’s assertions, questioning why no formal appeals were made if the allegations held any substance.

Once the electoral rolls were finalized for the Maharashtra elections, out of 9,77,90,752 electors, only 89 appeals were lodged with the first appellate authority (District Magistrate) under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as reported by a source.

Furthermore, only one appeal was made to the second appellate authority (Chief Electoral Officer) under Section 24(B) of the same Act, according to the source.

In response to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of election fraud, BJP leader Amit Malviya shared a news clip on social media stating: ‘Misleading’, ‘unfounded’, says EC, dismisses Congress' claims on Maharashtra voter lists.

The Election Commission affirmed that there was no irregular pattern in voter deletions within the state and that a rule-based, transparent process was followed in the preparation of the electoral rolls, as indicated in the clip.