Rahul Gandhi speaking during the Boston event (image-X/iamharmeetK)
Massachusetts, US: During a meeting in Boston addressing the Indian Diaspora, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission (EC) in India was “compromised” and that there was something “deeply wrong” with the system. Referring to the Maharashtra elections, the senior Congress leader stated that there was an addition of 65 lakh voters in the voter list within two hours.
Calling it “impossible”, Gandhi stated that more people voted in Maharashtra than the total population of Maharashtra.
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“More people voted in Maharashtra than the total number of people in Maharashtra, and this is a fact… the Election Commission gave us a figure in the evening around 5:30 p.m., and in two hours around 7:30 p.m., 65 lakh voters had voted, which is physically impossible,” he said as quoted by ANI.
He stated that the EC of India is “compromised” and there was something “very wrong” with the system.
Previously, the Election Commission of India said that the allegations made by the opposition against the electoral rolls were baseless. It stated that hardly any first or second appeals were made under Section 24 of the Representation of People Act or the correction of any entries in Electoral Rolls (Section 22) or Inclusion (Section 23) during the recent Special Summary Revision published on January 6-7, 2025.
The Special Summary Revision (SSR) involves reviewing the voter list and unveiling a draft electoral roll. It is held before elections to uphold a transparent voting process by adding newly eligible voters, including those who have reached the age of 18 or have changed their constituency. The SSR also includes the elimination of duplicate and deceased voters.
The Election Commission stated that while there were 13,857,359 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in India, only 89 appeals for changes in the electoral rolls were recorded in Maharashtra. According to the electoral body, in such a case, there is no option but to accept the electoral rolls published after SSR was finished in January 2025 as undisputed by all.
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The Congress leader also spoke about India’s relations with the United States in his address to the diaspora in Boston, hoping that the two countries would continue to work together. “We have a partnership with the US, and hopefully we will continue to work together,” the MP said.
Meanwhile, the BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi of “chanting about the Constitution” but at the same time insulting the institutions that protect it. “This has become Rahul Gandhi’s identity. He goes abroad and says that democracy in India has ended. This shows that some anti-Modi people have now turned anti-India,” he said.
