Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Saturday deed backmost astatine the Election Commission (EC) aft sources successful the canvass sheet rejected his allegation of rigging successful the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election, saying evasion would not support its credibility but telling the information would.
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In an article, the Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha alleged “match-fixing” successful the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would adjacent hap successful the Bihar elections and “anywhere the BJP is losing”.
Election Commission sources wondered arsenic to wherefore alternatively of penning to the canvass sheet directly, the Congress person was seeking replies done paper write-ups.
“It is precise unusual that contempt EC’s elaborate missive to the Congress connected December 24 past year, Rahul Gandhi keeps speaking and penning to media seeking answers to his aforesaid unfounded doubts again and again,” a functionary said.
He besides pointed retired that the EC had invited six nationalist parties separately for interaction, and but the Congress, each the others met the canvass authority.
The Congress had cancelled a gathering projected by the EC for May 15.
“It is not wide arsenic to wherefore Rahul Gandhi is shying distant from penning to the EC himself and get a reply,” the functionary said.
Rahul, connected his part, has questioned the EC for responding to his posers done source-based inputs.
“Dear EC, You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the mode to respond to superior questions,” helium said connected X.
“If you person thing to hide, reply the questions successful my nonfiction and beryllium it by: Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable elector rolls for the astir caller elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of each states, including Maharashtra, and by releasing each post-5 p.m. CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths,” helium said.
“Evasion won’t support your credibility. Telling the information will,” the Congress person said.
Dear EC,
You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the mode to respond to superior questions.
If you person thing to hide, reply the questions successful my nonfiction and beryllium it by:
• Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 7, 2025
EC sources earlier rejected claims made by Rahul astir alleged irregularities successful the Maharashtra poll.
Responding to the charges, EC sources said immoderate misinformation being dispersed by anyone brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by governmental parties during elections, and demotivates lakhs of canvass unit who enactment tirelessly for the gigantic exercise.
They besides pointed retired that unsubstantiated allegations raised against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra were an affront to the regularisation of law.
Underscoring that match-fixed elections are a “poison” for immoderate democracy, Rahul Gandhi wrote that the broadside that cheats whitethorn triumph the game, but it damages institutions and destroys nationalist faith.
The Congress person earlier outlined the alleged electoral irregularities successful a stepwise manner—fake voters added, the elector turnout inflated, bogus voting facilitated and grounds subsequently hidden.
The Congress person alleged that the 2024 Maharashtra elections were a “blueprint for rigging democracy” and this “match-fixing” would adjacent hap “anywhere the BJP is losing”.
“How to bargain an election? Maharashtra assembly elections successful 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy,” helium said portion sharing an op-ed published successful The Indian Express.
“My nonfiction shows however this happened, measurement by step: Step 1: Rig the sheet for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate elector turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting precisely wherever BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence.
“It’s not hard to spot wherefore the BJP was truthful hopeless successful Maharashtra. But rigging is similar match-fixing—the broadside that cheats mightiness triumph the game, but it damages institutions and destroys nationalist religion successful the result. All acrophobic Indians indispensable spot the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers,” helium said.
In his nonfiction titled “Match-fixing Maharashtra”, Rahul Gandhi said, “Voter rolls and CCTV footage are tools to beryllium utilized to fortify democracy, not ornaments to beryllium locked up. The radical of India person a close to beryllium assured that nary records person been oregon volition beryllium trashed.”
Stating that helium doubted the fairness of Indian elections, Rahul Gandhi said, “Not each time, not everywhere, but often. I americium not talking of small-scale cheating, but of industrial-scale rigging involving the seizure of our nationalist institutions.”
“But if immoderate earlier predetermination outcomes seemed odd, the result of the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections is glaringly strange,” helium noted.
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