Election Commission of India (ECI) came out with a lengthy counter on Tuesday against what it called "unwarranted" and "baseless" charges levelled by Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over the holding of Maharashtra Assembly elections and supposed flaws in the voters' list.
This response followed Gandhi’s recent comments made abroad, where he accused the EC of being compromised.
Citing Maharashtra as an example, he expressed skepticism over the polling numbers, particularly pointing out that 65 lakh votes were allegedly cast in the final two hours of voting—something he labeled “physically impossible.”
In its rebuttal, the Commission presented statistical data and election records to challenge Gandhi’s assertions. As per the EC, 6,40,87,588 voters cast their ballots between 7 am and 6 pm in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. That is approximately 58 lakh votes per hour on average. Contrary to the argument of a spurious two-hour surge, the EC revealed: "Going by these average trends, nearly 116 Lakh voters could have voted in last two hours.". Thus, 65 lakhs votes being cast by electors within two hours is far short of the average hourly voting patterns.
In addition, the EC highlighted that voting was conducted openly at each booth, under the watch of agents duly appointed by different political parties and candidates. It pointed out that no Congress candidate or their duly authorized representatives raised any irregularities on scrutiny by the Returning Officer (RO) or Election Observers on the polling day after-following.
Responding to the charges relating to the electoral rolls, the Commission explained that the voters list in Maharashtra, as in the rest of India, is made in terms of the Representation of People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. "According to law, either immediately before the elections and/or once a year, Special Summary Revision of the Electoral Rolls is done and a final Electoral Rolls copy is submitted to all the national/state political parties, including Indian National Congress (INC)," it said.
Pointing out the scarcity of formal complaints, the EC observed that, out of 9.77 crore registered voters, only 89 appeals were lodged before the District Magistrate, with a solitary appeal reaching the Chief Electoral Officer. This, it added, was proof of the absence of major grievances from the INC and other political organization ahead of the elections.
The survey body also reaffirmed that it had initially provided these details to the Congress party through a formal reply dated December 24, 2024, which is still available on its official website. It condemned the continuation of repeating the charges that ignore such documented facts. "While reviewing the electoral rolls for 1,00,427 polling booths with 97,325 Booth Level Officers appointed by the EROs, 1,03,727 Booth Level Agents were also appointed by all political parties, including 27,099 by the INC," the EC noted. It further said that making such unsubstantiated allegations was "an affront to the rule of law."
In its concluding comments, the Commission took a firm stance against what it called disinformation campaigns. "Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards 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," it said.
The EC strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the institution was compromised, calling it “completely absurd” and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the integrity of the election process.
