Rahul Gandhi’s attack on EC does not match the poll figures, officials said to bid for ‘infamous’

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanash Kumar was unavailable for the comment. However, a senior EC official said: “After losing the match, blameing the referee has become a standard exercise. These allegations are absurd and a bid to discredit the pole body. ECI has responded to Ink on the same issues on 24 December 2024. It seems that the party has not shared the answer (Gandhi).

Consider:

🔴 Appointment of Election Commissioners: Gandhi questioned the government’s decision to change the Chief Justice of India (CJI) with a cabinet minister on the panel responsible for appointing Election Commissioners-To ride the Supreme Court’s decision and increase concerns about the neutrality of the selection process.

The fact is that party lines – the gradual governments – which included opportunities to institutionalize a more transparent appointment mechanism, but failed to do so.

For example, in 2007, Congress leader M. The Administrative Reforms Commission under the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily recommended a collegium system to appoint Election Commissioners, which cited the “far -reaching importance” of the EC. Arch proposed a selection panel which included Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition, Law Minister and Rajya Sabha Vice President. However, this recommendation was never implemented.

Nor was there a similar proposal made by the 20th Law Commission headed by Justice AP Shah, which submitted its report to the NDA government in 2015.

“Now for the first time, a law made by Parliament under Article 325 is for appointment of CEC and ECS since 2023. Which is better – the earlier system or new one? Now, consultation is, transparency and concept of majority,” a senior official said.

🔴 Increase in new voters: Gandhi called the “incredible jump” of 41 lakh new voters in Maharashtra within five months between 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, called “incredible jump”, which was added in the last five years – equivalent to the possible manipulation of voter Rolls.

However, under election laws, political parties are included in every stage of preparing the final electoral rolls. Election officials regularly hold meetings with political parties, provide them free copies of draft and final rolls, and publish them on official websites. During the summary amendment period, the weekly list of objections and deletion is shared to allow objections.

In the Maharashtra Assembly elections ahead of 2024, 1,03,727 booth-level agents (BLAS) were appointed by political parties, including 27,099 from Congress. These agents are responsible for interacting with election officials to flagged off any discrepancies at the polling station level.

Nevertheless, during this amendment, less than 100 appeals were filed by party agents in all parties.

🔴 Voter voting: Gandhi questioned voters reported from 58.22% at 5 pm on November 20, 2024, the next morning 66.05% – 7.83 percentage points, or an increase of about 76 lakh voters. He called the growth unprecedented, given that the difference between provisional and final voting in the 2019 Maharashtra elections was only 0.64 percentage points.

The fact is that Pol Watchdog has always treated the voting data released on polling day as provisional and for a good reason. Polling officers prioritize the integrity of the voting process on real -time reporting, and delay in updates is common.

Prior to the voter polling app, the media would brighten the media around 6 pm on the EC polling day, the authorities continuously stated that the figures at 5 pm were temporary, as polling is often extended beyond the official deadline. In this context, the difference between the provisional voting has been released at 5 pm and the final figure released the next morning, especially not uncommon than the previous elections.

On Saturday, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra clarified that the difference between the provisional and final voter voting figures in 2024 compared to 2019 was not uncommon. In 2019, it increased from 54.43% to 61.10%. In 2024, it rose 58.22% to 66.05%. The CEO’s office stated that the final figures are based on the official record (Form 17C), which have been provided to the voting agents for verification.

It was also reported that Gandhi’s data comparison was flawed: for 2019, he used the provisional voting figures recorded at the actual end of the voting – which could move beyond 6 pm – with final figures. But for 2024, he compared the provisional polling (before the end of voting) at 5 pm with the final number.

In addition, EC officials said that in 2024, an average of 58 lakh voters cast their vote every hour in Maharashtra. Based on this, 116 lakh voters could vote alone in the last two hours – the growth of 76 lakh voters is completely commendable.

🔴 ‘fake’ voting: Gandhi further alleged that voter polling was focused in 12,000 booths in 85 constituencies, where the BJP had performed poorly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and was associated with the benefits made by the BJP in the assembly elections. He cited the seat of Kamthi Assembly as an example, claimed that BJP’s votes increased from 1.19 lakh to 1.75 lakhs in the assembly poll in the Lok Sabha elections, while the Congress figures were mostly stable.

However, EC provides complete access to all polling booths to candidates and their polling agents to increase objections in real time. Even after the results are declared, the candidates can challenge the result by filing an election petition in the High Court.

Congress candidate Suresh Yadavrao Bhoyar, who contested from the seat of Kamati assembly, has not filed such a petition. Of the 112 election petitions filed in Maharashtra, only 28 are from Congress- and Kamthi is not among them.

When asked about Gandhi’s claim, an official of Maharashtra CEO said it was factually wrong. Kamthi comes under Ramtek Lok Sabha seat, which was contested by Shiv Sena in the general election – not BJP. The official said, “Therefore, during the Lok Sabha elections, the question of the BJP who received 1.19 lakh votes in Kamthi does not arise,” the official said.

The official also stated that Bhoyar increased 1,07,064 votes in 2019 and 1,34,033 in 2024.

🔴 ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” लोगों को “मौन और यहां तक ​​​​कि आक्रामकता” के साथ जवाब देने का आरोप लगाते हुए कहा जाता है।

Electoral Rolls – List of registered voters – Already available to political parties. A top official said that what cannot be shared is a list of people who really voted, as it would violate “voting secrecy”, which is a fundamental principle in ensuring independent and fair choices. This for this reason the EC provides private polling compartments for each voter. The revelation of the presence of the pole can be exposed to voters for threatening or pressure.

On CCTV footage, it is a fact that in December 2024, after consultation with the EC -canator – operation of election rules, in 1961, to restrict access to electronic records. After this, the direction of a Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered EC to share footage with advocate Mahmud Pracha. The Commission has argued that providing CCTV footage will violate the confidentiality of the vote and open it for possible misuse using artificial intelligence.

When asked about this, an official of the CEO office of the state said, “In case of any complaint or objection related to the election process, the representation of the People’s Act, 1951, under Section 80, provides a legal option as an election petition, which can be filed before the Hon’ble High Court.