New Delhi:
Rahul Gandhi has not yet replied to an Election Commission letter inviting him to discuss allegations that the 2024 Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were rigged, sources told NDTV Tuesday.
The poll panel – which has repeatedly and firmly denied the Congress and Mr Gandhi’s claims that voter lists were manipulated and unverified individuals allowed to vote – sent the letter June 12. It was marked as ‘received’ at his residence in Delhi and also sent to his e-mail address, sources said.
Among his many accusations, Mr Gandhi had expressed concerns over the rigging of the 2024 Maharashtra and Haryana state elections; in the former he pointed out the BJP won 47 of 50 seats in which there was an “unprecedented increase” in voters – by eight per cent in just five months.
The EC denied all such claims, labelling the allegations “factually incorrect and misleading”.
In fact, earlier this month the panel re-released a document issued in April to counter Rahul Gandhi’s claims, and fears of a repeat in the Bihar election later this year.
READ | “Completely Absurd…”: Poll Body vs Rahul Gandhi On Maharashtra Polls
The Congress and Mr Gandhi had also demanded video and photographs from polling booths, arguing the poll panel’s revised guidelines – reducing retention period of CCTV footage to 45 days – was meant to hide potential electoral malpractice at polling booths.
On X Mr Gandhi also asked more questions of the EC and claimed it was, in fact, deleting evidence.
However, the Election Commission last week said that while the request to retain visuals of voting for more than 45 days seemed reasonable, it would impact voters’ privacy and security.
READ | “Contrary To Voter Privacy”: Poll Body Sources On Voting Footage Demands
“Voter list? Will not provide machine-readable format; CCTV footage? It was hidden by changing the law; Photo-video of the election? Not in one year, we will destroy it in 45 days. The one from whom answers are needed is destroying the evidence. It is clear the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy,” the Congress MP wrote in Hindi.
Sources in the Commission, however, told NDTV, “What is veiled as a very logical demand is contrary to the privacy and security concerns of the voters… a legal position laid down in the Representation of the People Act 1950/1951 and the directions of the Supreme Court”.
“Sharing of the footage, which would enable easy identification of the electors by any group or an individual, would leave both the elector who has voted and those who haven’t vulnerable to pressure, discrimination and intimidation by anti-social elements,” the panel pointed out.
The sources said retaining CCTV footage is not mandatory but is done by the Election Commission for 45 days since it is in line with timeframe for fiing of legal challenges.
