Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday flagged alleged irregularities in Maharashtra polls and reiterated his demand for immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. Gandhi also posted on X claiming that the voter list grew by eight percent in just five months in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s constituency.
Rahul Gandhi Demands Machine-Readable Digital Voter Rolls For Maharashtra Polls
The remarks came after the EC released a statement claiming that the entire election process was conducted in a decentralised manner at the assembly constituency level.
“In Maharashtra CM’s own constituency, the voter list grew by eight per cent in just five months. Some booths saw a 20-25 per cent surge. BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes. The media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address. And the EC? Silent - or complicit,” Rahul wrote on his X, citing a Newslaundry report.
The report claimed that the Nagpur South West, the seat held by Devendra Fadnavis, added 29,219 new voters in five months. "That's why we demand the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage," Gandhi added.
The Newslaundry report also said that across 378 booths in the Nagpur West assembly, there was a jump of over four per cent in the electorate – in 26 booths by more than 20 per cent and in four booths over 40 per cent.
The remarks came after the Election Commission formally wrote to the Congress MP on his allegations of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, saying all polls are held by it strictly as per laws passed by Parliament and rules.
The EC stated that the entire election process was conducted in a decentralised manner at the assembly constituency level, which involved more than 1,00,186 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 288 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 139 General Observers, 41 Police Observers, 71 Expenditure Observers and 288 Returning Officers (ROS) appointed by the Commission.
Also 1,08,026 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) were appointed by National and State Political Parties, including 28,421 of Congress, across Maharashtra.
"We presume that any issue regarding conduct of elections would have already been raised through election petitions filed in the competent court of law (high court) by the INC candidates," it told Rahul Gandhi.
"However, if you still have any issues, you are welcome to write to us and the Commission is also willing to meet you in person at a mutually convenient date and time to discuss all issues," the poll authority said.
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With PTI inputs.
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