NewKerala.com

Key Points

Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Office has firmly denied Rahul Gandhi's allegations of voter list manipulation in Devendra Fadnavis's constituency. Officials state electoral rolls were transparently prepared and shared with all political parties including Congress. The ECI has invited Gandhi to discuss his claims after he alleged an 8% suspicious voter surge in five months. The poll body maintains only 89 formal appeals were filed against the electoral roll revisions.

Key Points: Maharashtra CEO Rejects Rahul Gandhi Voter List Fraud Claims

  • Maharashtra CEO refutes Rahul Gandhi's 8% voter list surge claims
  • Electoral rolls shared with all parties including Congress
  • Just 89 appeals filed against roll revisions
  • ECI invites Gandhi to discuss Maharashtra poll allegations
2 min read

Electoral rolls prepared transparently; copies shared with recognised parties: Maharashtra CEO on Rahul Gandhi's allegations

Maharashtra CEO denies Rahul Gandhi's electoral roll manipulation allegations, citing transparent processes and party-wide data sharing.

"Electoral Rolls are shared with all recognised political parties... only 89 appeals were received. – Chief Electoral Office, Maharashtra"

New Delhi, June 24

With Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleging that the voter list grew by eight per cent in just five months in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's constituency, Chief Electoral Office Maharashtra has rejected the allegations and stated that electoral rolls are prepared transparently and copies were shared with recognised parties.

"As informed by the Election Commission of India already, Electoral Rolls are shared with all recognised political parties. During second Special Summary Revision- 2024, which was taken up before the General Elections to Maharashtra Assembly- 2024, the copies of draft and final electoral rolls of all 288 ACs were provided to representatives of all recognised political parties including INC (Dates of handing over the rolls to INC can be seen in the attachment)," Chief Electoral Office, Maharashtra, said in a release.

"Between draft and final publication of rolls, 19,27,508 claims and objections were received for consideration. As per law, appeal can be filed against wrongful additions or deletions in the Electoral Rolls. Only 89 Appeals were received." CEO further said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) invited the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for an interaction to discuss the issues related to his allegation on the Maharashtra Assembly Election held last year, sources said on Tuesday.According to the sources, the letter was sent via email on June 12 and was also received at his residence.

The former Congress President recently raised allegations against the poll body of "election rigging" in the Maharashtra assembly polls. However, ECI has rejected the allegations.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi cited a news report and claimed that the voter list grew by eight per cent in just five months in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's constituency, labelling it as "vote theft".

"In Maharashtra CM's constituency, the voter list grew by 8% in just 5 months. Some booths saw a 20-50% surge. BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes. Media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address," Gandhi said on X."And the EC? Silent - or complicit. These aren't isolated glitches. This is vote theft. The cover-up is the confession. "That's why we demand the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage," Gandhi said.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rajesh K.
The CEO's response seems detailed and transparent. If rolls were shared with all parties including Congress, why raise questions now? Either provide concrete evidence or stop making baseless allegations. This only creates unnecessary confusion among voters.
P
Priya M.
While I support transparency, Rahul Gandhi's concerns deserve proper investigation. 8% voter increase in 5 months is unusual. EC should address these doubts publicly with data instead of just rejecting claims. Democracy needs constant vigilance! 🇮🇳
A
Amit S.
This is typical opposition behavior - first don't raise objections during the process, then cry foul after losing elections. The numbers speak for themselves - only 89 appeals out of 19 lakh+ claims shows the system is working fine.
S
Sunita R.
As a Maharashtra resident, I appreciate the detailed response from CEO office. But why not make voter rolls publicly available online? More transparency = more trust. Also, EC should have responded faster to these allegations instead of waiting for weeks.
V
Vikram J.
The timing of these allegations is suspicious. Elections are over, results declared. If Congress had genuine concerns, they should have raised them during the revision process when rolls were shared with them. Now it just looks like sour grapes. 😒
N
Neha P.
Both sides need to be more responsible. Leaders shouldn't make serious allegations without proof, and EC should be more proactive in addressing concerns. Our election system is the backbone of democracy - let's not weaken it with constant bickering.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50