Rahul alleged that this poll "match-fixing" would next happen in the Bihar elections and "anywhere the BJP is losing".
LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission (EC), Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and expressed apprehension that the upcoming Bihar state polls may also go through a similar pattern of institutional “rigging”. While the EC issued a rebuttal, the BJP hit out at Mr Gandhi, calling his allegations "bizarre conspiracies" made out of desperation after losing a series of elections.
Mr Gandhi, in an article published on Saturday, raised several issues pertaining to Maharashtra Assembly elections and once again accused the EC of “match-fixing.” He alleged that the voter list was inflated with fake voters, which swung the results during the closing hours of polling and also led to inflated voter turnout data.
The Congress leader challenged the EC to come out clean and release CCTV footage of the Maharashtra polling stations. Besides, he questioned the appointment of Chief Election Commissioners and other ECs and mentioned the duplicate EPICs in his article.
“How to steal an election? Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate voter turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence. It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing — the side that cheats might win the game but damages institutions and destroys public faith in the result." Mr Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
The Congress leader added: "All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers. Because the match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing. Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy.”
Hitting out at Mr Gandhi, the BJP also accused him of attacking democratic institutions to undermine people's trust in the electoral process, claiming he was doing so to preempt his party's defeat in the upcoming elections, as he cannot garner public support.
Union health minister and BJP president J.P. Nadda accused Mr Gandhi of manufacturing fake narratives, owing to his sadness and desperation at losing election after election.
"Here's how he does it, step by step. Step 1: The Congress Party gets defeated in election after election due to its antics. Step 2: Instead of introspecting, he cooks up bizarre conspiracies and cries rigging. Step 3: Ignores all facts and data. Step 4: Defames institutions with zero proof. Step 5: Hopes for headlines over facts. Despite being exposed time and again, he shamelessly keeps peddling lies. And, he is doing this because a defeat in Bihar is certain," the BJP president said and asserted that democracy doesn't need drama; it needs truth.
Countering Mr Gandhi’s charges of “match-fixing in Maharashtra”, the Election Commission on Saturday issued a point-wise rebuttal to allegations with regard to rigging of voter lists during the Maharashtra Assembly elections of 2024. The EC said that trying to defame the poll body after any unfavourable verdict by the voters, by saying that it is compromised, is “completely absurd” and “unsubstantiated”.
Responding to Mr Gandhi, the EC said there were no questions raised or lists challenged when the rolls were being revised, which took place under the full watch of all parties, including 27,099 Congress booth level agents. There were 89 applications of wrong deletions and additions, out of which only one went to appeal to higher authority. Sources said it was amply clear that there was no grievance from the Congress or any other political parties before the conduct of Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024.
The poll body also gave out data showing in the Opposition-ruled states like Telangana, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, there was a higher increase in the voter list compared to previous elections, but that did not alter the results in favour of the ruling BJP and its alliances.
The EC clarified that during Assembly elections in Maharashtra, 6,40,87,588 electors, who reached the polling station from 7 am to 6 pm, voted. About 58-lakh votes were polled per hour on average. Going by these average trends, nearly 116-lakh voters could have voted in the last two hours. Therefore, casting of 65-lakh votes by electors in two hours is much below the average hourly voting trends, the EC said.
“In every polling booth, the voting progressed in front of the polling agents formally appointed by candidates/political parties. Congress’ nominated candidates or their authorised agents have not raised any substantiated allegations with regards to any kind of abnormal voting at the time of scrutiny before the Returning Officer and the Election Observers on the next day,” EC said.
It added that the election process, including the preparation of electoral rolls, polling, counting, etc., is all held by government staff and that too in the presence of authorised representatives formally appointed by political parties from polling station up to constituency level. Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the 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,” the EC added.
Regarding Mr Gandhi’s allegation about the appointment of CEC without involving the Supreme Court Chief Justice, the EC sources pointed out that all former Congress Prime Ministers appointed CEC and ECs at their sole will.
“Now for the first time, a law made by the Parliament under Article 325 is in place from 2023 for the appointment of CEC and ECs. Now, there is consultation, there is transparency and there is a concept of majority in the selection of CEC or ECs. As far as CJI is concerned, it was a self-made appointment by the CJI himself till a law was made. No appointments were ever made by such an ad hoc committee,” sources added.
Mr Gandhi, in an article published on Saturday, raised several issues pertaining to Maharashtra Assembly elections and once again accused the EC of “match-fixing.” He alleged that the voter list was inflated with fake voters, which swung the results during the closing hours of polling and also led to inflated voter turnout data.
The Congress leader challenged the EC to come out clean and release CCTV footage of the Maharashtra polling stations. Besides, he questioned the appointment of Chief Election Commissioners and other ECs and mentioned the duplicate EPICs in his article.
“How to steal an election? Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate voter turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence. It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing — the side that cheats might win the game but damages institutions and destroys public faith in the result." Mr Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
The Congress leader added: "All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers. Because the match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing. Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy.”
Hitting out at Mr Gandhi, the BJP also accused him of attacking democratic institutions to undermine people's trust in the electoral process, claiming he was doing so to preempt his party's defeat in the upcoming elections, as he cannot garner public support.
Union health minister and BJP president J.P. Nadda accused Mr Gandhi of manufacturing fake narratives, owing to his sadness and desperation at losing election after election.
"Here's how he does it, step by step. Step 1: The Congress Party gets defeated in election after election due to its antics. Step 2: Instead of introspecting, he cooks up bizarre conspiracies and cries rigging. Step 3: Ignores all facts and data. Step 4: Defames institutions with zero proof. Step 5: Hopes for headlines over facts. Despite being exposed time and again, he shamelessly keeps peddling lies. And, he is doing this because a defeat in Bihar is certain," the BJP president said and asserted that democracy doesn't need drama; it needs truth.
Countering Mr Gandhi’s charges of “match-fixing in Maharashtra”, the Election Commission on Saturday issued a point-wise rebuttal to allegations with regard to rigging of voter lists during the Maharashtra Assembly elections of 2024. The EC said that trying to defame the poll body after any unfavourable verdict by the voters, by saying that it is compromised, is “completely absurd” and “unsubstantiated”.
Responding to Mr Gandhi, the EC said there were no questions raised or lists challenged when the rolls were being revised, which took place under the full watch of all parties, including 27,099 Congress booth level agents. There were 89 applications of wrong deletions and additions, out of which only one went to appeal to higher authority. Sources said it was amply clear that there was no grievance from the Congress or any other political parties before the conduct of Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024.
The poll body also gave out data showing in the Opposition-ruled states like Telangana, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, there was a higher increase in the voter list compared to previous elections, but that did not alter the results in favour of the ruling BJP and its alliances.
The EC clarified that during Assembly elections in Maharashtra, 6,40,87,588 electors, who reached the polling station from 7 am to 6 pm, voted. About 58-lakh votes were polled per hour on average. Going by these average trends, nearly 116-lakh voters could have voted in the last two hours. Therefore, casting of 65-lakh votes by electors in two hours is much below the average hourly voting trends, the EC said.
“In every polling booth, the voting progressed in front of the polling agents formally appointed by candidates/political parties. Congress’ nominated candidates or their authorised agents have not raised any substantiated allegations with regards to any kind of abnormal voting at the time of scrutiny before the Returning Officer and the Election Observers on the next day,” EC said.
It added that the election process, including the preparation of electoral rolls, polling, counting, etc., is all held by government staff and that too in the presence of authorised representatives formally appointed by political parties from polling station up to constituency level. Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the 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,” the EC added.
Regarding Mr Gandhi’s allegation about the appointment of CEC without involving the Supreme Court Chief Justice, the EC sources pointed out that all former Congress Prime Ministers appointed CEC and ECs at their sole will.
“Now for the first time, a law made by the Parliament under Article 325 is in place from 2023 for the appointment of CEC and ECs. Now, there is consultation, there is transparency and there is a concept of majority in the selection of CEC or ECs. As far as CJI is concerned, it was a self-made appointment by the CJI himself till a law was made. No appointments were ever made by such an ad hoc committee,” sources added.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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