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NEW DELHI: Election Commission officials connected Sunday challenged Congress' Rahul Gandhi to follow-up connected his claims of "rigging" successful 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections by formally penning to the canvass panel, saying lone past tin it connection a formal, point-by-point rebuttal of his "baseless allegations"."It is precise unusual that adjacent aft 24 hours person passed, Rahul has neither written immoderate missive to EC nor sought clip with it to aerial his grievances," said a elder EC functionary. "It is nationalist cognition that a law assemblage similar EC cannot respond formally to allegations unless they are raised oregon communicated to it directly," the functionary added.Also read: 'Maharashtra polls were match-fixed, Bihar next,' alleges Rahul GandhiRahul, person of absorption successful Lok Sabha, connected Saturday deed retired astatine EC aft it rejected his allegations of "rigging" successful Maharashtra elections successful an Op-Ed.
He had said the canvass was a "blueprint for rigging democracy"and alleged that this "match-fixing" would adjacent hap successful Bihar and "then anyplace BJP is losing".The EC functionary said the canvass assemblage is intrigued that Rahul, connected 1 side, says that the issues raised by him with respect to Maharashtra elections are precise serious, "but erstwhile it comes to putting them down successful achromatic and achromatic to EC, helium shies away".It was suggested that Rahul was perchance taken aback by a "truthful and factual, point-by-point rebuttal fixed by EC erstwhile again connected Saturday".
EC had earlier clarified the precise aforesaid issues with afloat facts and figures successful a enactment successful its effect to Congress dated Dec 24, 2024, and again done the media connected April 22, 2025."Rahul, done his Op-Ed article, ended up criticising booth level agents (BLAs), polling agents and counting agents appointed by his ain enactment oregon its candidates, successful Maharashtra. His baseless accusations person disrespected 10.5 lakh BLAs, 50 lakh polling officers and 1 lakh counting supervisors appointed by EC nationwide, by questioning their integrity and hard work," said an officer.As per EC instructions, footage from CCTV cameras of polling stations tin ever beryllium scrutinised by the competent precocious tribunal successful immoderate predetermination petition. However, the footage is not shared with the nationalist oregon governmental parties by EC to support the integrity of elections and the privateness of voters. "Does the LoP not spot adjacent the precocious tribunal now?" asked the officer.EC sources said the committee had, arsenic portion of its consultations with nationalist and authorities parties connected each election-related issues, invited Congress for a gathering connected May 15, 2025. "But it developed acold feet and requested for immoderate much time," shared the officer.
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