ECI criticizes Rahul Gandhi’s claims on poll body being compromised, calls it ‘absurd’
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his recent remarks made during his visit to the US about the poll body being ‘compromised.’
The commission has described the Congress leader’s comments as "completely absurd" and "an affront to the rule of law."
Speaking at a public event in Boston on Sunday, Gandhi claimed that 65 lakh votes were cast in just two hours from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm during the polls, calling it "physically impossible." He also said that when Congress demanded videographic evidence of the polling process, the Commission allegedly changed the law to deny access.
Responding to these accusations, ECI sources clarified that during the Maharashtra elections, 6,40,87,588 crore voters turned out between 7 am and 6 pm, averaging 58 lakh votes per hour. Based on these average trends, 116 lakh people could have voted in the last two hours, making the figure of 65 lakh votes in that timeframe not unusual. The Commission also pointed out that polling takes place in front of officially appointed polling agents from all political parties, including the Congress, and no objections about irregular voting were raised by their agents during the official scrutiny the next day.
The ECI also highlighted that the electoral rolls in Maharashtra were prepared according to the Representation of People Act, 1950 and related rules.
The final rolls were shared with all political parties, and only 89 appeals were filed out of nearly 9,77,90,752 registered voters none of which came from the Congress party. Additionally, over one lakh booth-level agents were appointed by parties, including over 27,000 by the Congress, ECI sources said.
The Commission stated that all relevant clarifications had already been shared with the Congress party in December 2024.
ECI sources also expressed concern stating, “It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again.”
It also pointed out that spreading such misinformation disrespects not only the legal process but also the thousands of party representatives and election staff who ensure fair elections in India.
Gandhi during the public event in the US on April 19, claimed that the EC is compromised and that there were serious flaws in the electoral system. "It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that something is wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times," he stated.
He asserted that more people casted their votes in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections than there were adults in the state.
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Pakistani troops shell areas near LoC, woman killed
Srinagar (PTI): A woman was killed and two of her family members injured after Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling in areas near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.
They said the Indian Army has responded proportionately to the Pakistani aggression.
Officials said the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC and resorted to heavy shelling in civilian areas in Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday night.
Pakistan targeted many areas of Uri, including Silikot, Boniyar, Kamalkote, Mohra and Gingle. The heavy shelling caused damage to several structures, forcing the people to flee, the officials added.
They said three members of a family were injured when a shell hit their car near Mohra while they were trying to escape the shelling.
The injured were rushed to a hospital where a woman, identified as Nargis Begum, succumbed to injuries, the officials said.
