Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, raised concerns about the credibility of India’s Election Commission, alleging that the institution is “compromised.” Speaking to the Indian diaspora in Boston, Rahul Gandhi pointed to what he described as suspicious discrepancies in the voter list during the Maharashtra assembly elections, claiming the addition of 65 lakh voters within two hours was “physically impossible.”
While addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi highlighted a specific instance from the Maharashtra elections, where he claimed that the Election Commission reported 65 lakh additional voters in a span of just two hours. He said, “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 just two hours, by 7:30 p.m., 65 lakh voters had voted, which is physically impossible.” Rahul Gandhi argued that such irregularities pointed to deep-rooted issues within the system and raised questions about the neutrality of the Election Commission.
Election Commission Responds
In response to Rahul Gandhi’s claims, the Election Commission of India refuted the accusations, explaining that the allegations about the manipulation of voter rolls were unfounded. The Commission pointed out that there were no significant appeals or corrections made during the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral rolls. According to EC sources, the SSR, which involves reviewing and updating voter lists, aims to ensure transparency by adding eligible voters and removing duplicates or deceased individuals.
The Election Commission revealed that only 89 appeals were recorded in Maharashtra during the SSR process, which is minimal given the scale of the revision. The Commission emphasized that out of 13,857,359 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in the country, only a handful raised concerns about the electoral rolls. Therefore, the Commission stated that the electoral rolls published after the SSR in January 2025 were legally valid and undisputed.
Rahul Gandhi’s comments have sparked a wider debate on electoral transparency and fairness in India. While the Election Commission has defended its processes, the issue of trust in the electoral system remains a significant concern for many, with allegations of manipulation fueling the ongoing political discourse.
