The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a firm rebuttal to the Congress party’s allegations concerning a sudden spike in voter turnout during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The Commission labeled the claims as unfounded and politically charged, responding after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge amplified Rahul Gandhi’s concerns through a public statement.
As per ECI sources, even after making serious allegations in the media, Rahul Gandhi has not formally approached the Commission yet. "Even two days after leveling his unsubstantiated claims, Rahul Gandhi has not written any complaint or letter, nor has he sought an appointment to meet the ECI. Why?" asked a source.
This failure to formally communicate, the sources noted, indicates a lack of sincere intent to hold a fruitful dialogue.
The Commission also noted that the Congress had already received a formal reply on December 24, 2024, to its earlier queries. This communication, according to the ECI, is in the public domain on its website, opposing the allegation raised by the party regarding lack of transparency.
In response to the criticism against electoral roll procedures, the ECI urged District Congress Presidents to make Booth Level Agents (BLAs) a part of every polling station. The agents should actively work during the annual revision of the electoral roll, a procedure the Commission stressed to be participatory as well as transparent.
Training of BLAs from all the parties has been held at the training complex of the ECI, and officers stated that the Congress party can join more actively so as not to have "misconceptions" in the future.
The Commission also emphasized that even if Congress chooses not to take part in the roll update exercise, it should at least have faith in the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) deputed under Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. These officers, deputed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), work under a legal framework especially formulated to ensure the purity of electoral rolls.
Also, ECI sources confirmed that each of the most critical elements of election administration—preparation of electoral rolls, polling, and counting of votes—are performed by statutory bodies such as the EROs, PROs, and ROs, under the constitutional powers vested in the Commission by Article 324.
Finally, the ECI pointed out that the result of elections is decided by the voters, and not by the administrative process.
In a sharply worded closing argument, the Commission aimed at what it labelled as an ongoing political tactic on behalf of the Congress party. "Any party gearing up for poll results should do that in the political sphere, rather than by 'fighting the referee'," the sources said.
"The Indian electors are smart enough to know why the INC (Indian National Congress) persists in combatting the referee whenever it loses an election," the ECI sources concluded.
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