Rahul Gandhi Challenges ECI To Release Voter Rolls, CCTV Footage From Maharashtra Polls
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday challenged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish consolidated voter rolls and post-5pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths, escalating his attack on the poll body over alleged electoral manipulation in the 2024 assembly elections.
The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition accused the ECI of responding to his “serious questions” through “unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries” instead of addressing his allegations directly. Gandhi’s challenge came hours after the poll body dismissed his claims of large-scale electoral manipulation in Maharashtra.
“You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions,” Gandhi said in a post on X. “If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections.”
The Election Commission strongly rejected Gandhi’s allegations, calling them “unsubstantiated” and “an affront to the rule of law.” The poll body stated that it had already addressed these concerns in its December 24, 2024 reply to the Indian National Congress, which is available on the ECI website.
“It appears that all these facts are being completely ignored while raising such issues again and again,” the ECI said. The commission added that such actions show “complete disregard for the law” and undermine the integrity of thousands of party-appointed representatives and election officials.
“After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd,” the poll body stated.
Gandhi had earlier outlined what he called a systematic five-step process used to influence the Maharashtra election outcome in favor of the BJP. In an article for The Indian Express, he detailed steps including rigging the Election Commission appointment panel, adding fake voters, inflating turnout, targeting bogus voting where BJP needed wins, and hiding evidence.
The Congress leader warned that the alleged “match-fixing” could spread to other states, particularly Bihar, calling it “poison” for democracy. He had previously raised concerns about 39 lakh new voters being added in just five months between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Maharashtra.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a record victory in Maharashtra, winning 234 of 288 seats, with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 132 seats.
