Election Commission dismisses Rahul Gandhi's 'match-fixing' allegations in Maharashtra polls
What's the story
The Election Commission of India has dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "match-fixing" in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. In an op-ed for The Indian Express, Gandhi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manipulated the election results through a five-step process. This included rigging the panel for appointing the Election Commission, adding fake voters, inflating voter turnout, targeting bogus voting, and hiding evidence.
Election outcome
BJP won 132 seats, its best-ever performance in Maharashtra
The allegations came after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won a landslide victory, winning 235 out of 288 seats. The BJP alone won 132 seats, its best-ever performance in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the opposition alliance of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) could only manage to win 46 seats.
Rebuttal issued
EC calls Gandhi's allegations 'completely absurd'
The Election Commission has called Gandhi's allegations "completely absurd." It said no serious complaints were made by Congress or its polling agents during the election process. "Nominated candidates of INC (Indian National Congress) or their authorised agents have not raised any substantiated allegations with regard to any kind of abnormal voting at the time of scrutiny before the Returning Officer (RO) and the Election Observers on the next day," it said.
Election integrity
'Unsubstantiated allegations an affront to rule of law'
In its response, the Election Commission said, "Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law." The commission emphasized that these facts were previously addressed in a reply to Congress on December 24, 2024, which is available on ECI's website. It underscored that such misinformation undermines election officials' integrity and disrespects the law.
Future concerns
Gandhi warns of similar manipulations in future elections
Gandhi warned that similar electoral manipulations could happen in future elections, especially in Bihar and other states where the BJP faces challenges. He called these alleged practices a "poison" for democracy and urged Indians to demand answers and judge for themselves. The Election Commission reiterated that Indian elections are conducted according to law and are globally recognized for their scale and accuracy.