Election Commission Rejects Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations, Calls Claims "Baseless and Misleading"

 New Delhi, April 22 — Days after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged electoral malpractice and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being “compromised,” the Commission has issued a strong rebuttal, dismissing the claims as factually incorrect and potentially damaging to the integrity of India’s electoral system.

In a statement issued by top officials, the ECI said: “Spreading misinformation, by any individual or political entity, not only disrespects the constitutional framework but also undermines the credibility of lakhs of polling officials and party-appointed representatives who carry out their duties with transparency and dedication. Post-poll allegations intended to discredit the Commission, especially after an unfavourable electoral outcome, are both unjustified and misleading.”

Rahul Gandhi, during a recent visit to the United States, reiterated his concerns over the conduct of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. He claimed that the electoral rolls had been manipulated to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and that voting numbers did not reflect logistical feasibility.

Gandhi alleged that between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on polling day, nearly 6.5 million votes were cast—an amount he called “physically impossible,” citing an average voting time of three minutes per person. He further stated that Congress’s requests for videographic evidence were denied and that the rules had been altered to prevent future such requests.

In response, the ECI emphasized that the average hourly voting turnout during the Maharashtra elections stood at approximately 5.8 million voters. “Based on average polling trends, around 11.6 million votes could reasonably have been cast in the final two hours alone. Therefore, the casting of 6.5 million votes during that period is well within expected norms,” ECI officials stated.

On the matter of electoral roll manipulation, the Commission clarified that only one formal appeal had been filed by the Congress party at the appellate level, despite over 97.7 million electors being registered. This, according to the ECI, indicates that there were no significant grievances raised prior to the election results.

The poll body also highlighted that during the revision of electoral rolls across 1,00,427 polling booths, over 97,000 booth-level officers and 1,03,727 booth-level agents—of whom 27,099 were appointed by the Congress—were actively involved in the process. “These agents had ample opportunity to raise objections or flag discrepancies, yet no substantial concerns were recorded at the time,” officials said.

Reaffirming its commitment to transparent and lawful conduct, the Election Commission pointed out that all relevant voter turnout data and procedural details have been publicly available on its official website since December 2024.

“Recycling unfounded allegations, despite access to verified data and clarification, appears to be an attempt to mislead the public and erode trust in the democratic process,” the Commission concluded.