‘Vote theft in Maha polls’: Rahul needs machine-readable digital voter rolls

Flagging alleged irregularities within the 2024 Maharashtra meeting polls, Congress MP and Lok Sabha Chief of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that these weren’t remoted glitches however “vote theft”, and demanded the speedy launch of machine-readable digital voter rolls in addition to CCTV footage.

The LoP shared on X a media report which claimed that in simply six months between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra meeting polls, Nagpur South West — the seat held by BJP chief and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis — added 29,219 new voters.

“In Maharashtra CM’s personal constituency, the voter listing grew by 8% in simply 5 months. Some cubicles noticed a 20-50% surge. BLOs reported unknown people casting votes,” Gandhi stated in his put up.

“Media uncovered 1000’s of voters with no verified handle. And the EC? Silent — or complicit. These aren’t remoted glitches. That is vote theft. The duvet-up is the confession,” he stated. “That is why we demand the speedy launch of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage.”

Gandhi’s remarks got here on a day it emerged that the Election Fee of India has formally written to him on his allegations of rigging within the 2024 Maharashtra polls, saying all elections are held by the ballot panel strictly as per guidelines and legal guidelines handed by Parliament, and all the train includes 1000’s of personnel, together with booth-level brokers appointed by political events.

In a letter emailed to Gandhi on 12 June in response to his article revealed in a distinguished nationwide day by day, the ECI stated all the election course of in Maharashtra was performed in a decentralised method on the meeting phase degree, which concerned greater than 1 lakh booth-level officers (BLOs), 288 electoral registration officers (EROs), 139 common observers, 41 police observers, 71 expenditure observers and 288 returning officers (ROs) appointed by the comrnission.

“We presume that any problem relating to conduct of elections would have already been raised by means of election petitions filed within the competent courtroom of regulation (excessive courtroom) by the INC candidates,” it instructed Gandhi.

“Nevertheless, if you happen to nonetheless have any points, you might be welcome to write down to us and the Fee can also be keen to satisfy you in particular person at a mutually handy date and time to debate all points,” the ballot authority stated.