Election Commission rejects Rahul Gandhi’s ‘match-fixing’ claim
Election Commission sources on Saturday rejected claims of rigging in the Maharashtra Assembly polls held last year and said defaming it after receiving an unfavourable verdict from the voters is “absolutely absurd”.
The EC sources were responding to an article by former Congress chief and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleging “match-fixing” in the Maharashtra state polls.
The sources said any misinformation being spread by anyone brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by political parties during elections and demotivates lakhs of poll staff who work tirelessly for the gigantic exercise. They pointed out that unsubstantiated allegations raised against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law.
Underscoring that match-fixed elections are a “poison” for any democracy, Gandhi said that the side that cheats may win the game, but it damages institutions and destroys public faith.
In a post on X, Gandhi outlined the alleged electoral irregularities in a stepwise manner — fake voters are added, voter turnout is inflated, bogus voting is facilitated, and evidence is subsequently hidden.
“How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy,” Gandhi said while sharing an op-ed published in The Indian Express.
“My article shows how this happened, step by step: Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission. Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll. Step 3: Inflate voter turnout. Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win. Step 5: Hide the evidence.
“It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing – the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroys public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers,” Gandhi said.
“Because the match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing,” the former Congress president claimed in his post.
