Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer Addresses Rahul Gandhi's Claims on Voter Rolls

Clarification from Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer

On Monday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra announced that the electoral rolls have been shared with all recognized political parties, including the Congress, on two occasions. This information was conveyed via a tweet, highlighting that this practice has been consistent since 2009, with updates in 2014, 2019, and the most recent in 2024.

Rahul Gandhi's Call for Digital Voter Rolls

This statement followed a request from Rahul Gandhi, the Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, urging the Election Commission to release consolidated, digital, and machine-readable voter rolls for the latest Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections across all states, including Maharashtra.

Annual Revision of Electoral Rolls

The CEO of Maharashtra elaborated on X, stating, "Electoral Rolls are revised annually through a participatory exercise. During this process, the rolls are provided at no cost to recognized political parties, including Congress, first in draft form and then after finalization. This has been the standard procedure since 2009, with copies shared with Congress and other parties."

Response to Allegations

On June 7, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Election Commission's response to his allegations regarding the Maharashtra elections, asserting that, "Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions."

Election Commission's Defense

In reply, the Election Commission dismissed Gandhi's claims about election rigging in Maharashtra as "unsubstantiated allegations." They emphasized that such claims undermine the rule of law and reiterated that all relevant facts were previously communicated in their response to the Indian National Congress on December 24, 2024, which is accessible on the ECI's official website.