Rahul Gandhi flags EC's 'evasive notes' as response, places 2 demands: ‘Release post-5pm CCTV footage, and…’

ECI vs Rahul Gandhi: Following the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s point wise rebuttal against Rahul Gandhi's claims that the 2024 Maharashtra elections were ‘rigged,' the Leader of Opposition (LOP) has slammed the poll body, stating that “unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.”

Rahul Gandhi has further demanded that the ECI publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra, and release post-5pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths.

“Evasion won’t protect your credibility. Telling the truth will,” Rahul Gandhi added in his post.

Rahul Gandhi vs ECI

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi had accused the BJP of rigging the Maharashtra assembly elections through a five-step process, including tampering with the Election Commission and inflating voter turnout.

Rahul Gandhi had even referred to his previously written op-ed titled ‘Match-fixing Maharashtra' enumerating a step-by-step process on how he claims the polls were “rigged”.

Following the LoP's claims, the ECI issued a statement, labelling the claims as “absurd,” and stated that Rahul Gandhi had raised “unsubstantiated allegations” against the “Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra.”

What did ECI say

The commission emphasised that Indian elections are held as per the law, and their scale and accuracy are praised around the world.

"Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards 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," the Election Commission stated.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis responds to Rahul Gandhi's claims

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations regarding last year’s state elections, accusing the Congress leader of "insulting the people of Maharashtra."

“Rahul Gandhi is disconnected from ground realities. Unless he stops misleading himself and offering false assurances, his party will continue to lose,” Fadnavis said, as quoted by PTI. “He needs to wake up, or he’ll keep making baseless statements that are far removed from facts"