Rahul Gandhi vs ECI: Following Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s tweet that the Maharashtra elections in November 2024 were ‘rigged,’ the Election Commission of India hit back with a point wise rebuttal, stating that “facts are completely being ignored.”
The ECI stated: “…unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to INC on 24th December 2024 itself which is available on ECI’s website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again…”
What did Rahul Gandhi claim
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi had accused the BJP of rigging the Maharashtra assembly elections through a five-step process, including tampering with the Election Commission and inflating voter turnout. He warned that a similar pattern could repeat in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections later this year.
Sharing his concerns on X, Rahul Gandhi posted a link to a newspaper article he authored, outlining what he described as systematic electoral manipulation in Maharashtra.
The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections delivered a sweeping triumph for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.
ECI says LoP’s claims ‘absurd’
Adding to its rebuttal against Rahul Gandhi, about how “facts were being completely ignored” repeatedly, the ECI added that such actions not only show “a complete disregard for the law,” but also undermine the integrity of thousands of party-appointed representatives and demoralize the lakhs of election officials who, it said, “work untiringly and transparently during elections.”
“After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd,” stated the poll body.