New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has not written any letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) or sought any time for a meeting even 24 hours after he raised allegations of “rigging” in the assembly polls held in November last year, sources in the poll body said.
As per procedure, any Constitutional body including the ECI will formally respond only when Rahul Gandhi writes to them, the sources added.
Sources further said that Gandhi, on one hand, says that the issues being raised by him are very serious, but when it comes to penning them down in black and white to the Election Commission, he shies away.
It highlighted that the INC was invited to meet the Commission on 15 May 2025, on which they requested some time.
The Rae Bareli MP is taken aback by a truthful and factual point-by-point rebuttal given by the Election Commission on Saturday, poll body sources said.
“Rahul Gandhi has in fact ended up criticising the Booth Level Agents appointed by his own INC, Polling and Counting Agents appointed by his own INC candidates in Maharashtra,” it added.
The poll body sources claimed that the 10.5 lakh Booth Level Officers, 50 lakh Polling Officers, and 1 lakh Counting Supervisors appointed by the Commission all across the country are also disappointed with Rahul Gandhi over the allegations being made by him, questioning their integrity and hard work.
On the former Congress President’s demand for CCTV footage, the sources said, “As per instructions of the ECI, the CCTV footages of polling stations can always be scrutinised by the competent High Court in any election petition. This is done by the ECI to protect the integrity of elections as well as to protect the privacy of voters. Why does Shri Rahul Gandhi himself or through his agents want to invade the privacy of voters, which is to be protected by the ECI as per electoral laws? Does Rahul Gandhi not trust even the High Courts now?”
“Rahul Gandhi himself is now seeking cover from the INC. Earlier, Shri Rahul Gandhi himself wrote in media and on Twitter. But realising a countrywide backlash by citizens at large, the INC has started giving cover to him through its Twitter handle and some other prominent INC leaders,” it claimed.
On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called upon the Election Commission to publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states, including Maharashtra, saying that “telling the truth” will protect the poll panel’s credibility.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, referred to the ECI’s response to his allegations concerning Maharashtra polls and said, “Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.”
In response, the ECI described Rahul Gandhi’s Maharashtra election poll rigging claims as “unsubstantiated allegations.”
“Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on 24th December 2024 itself, which is available on the ECI’s website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again,” it said.
“Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the law but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections. After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd,” it added. (ANI)
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