The Impressive TimesNew Delhi, Feb 7, 2025: Accusing electoral roll manipulation in Maharashtra, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted that the Congress may be compelled to move the court if the Election Commission does not promptly release the complete voters’ list.
Speaking at a press conference at the Constitution Club of India alongside NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut, Gandhi claimed, “Between the 2019 Vidhan Sabha elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra’s electoral roll saw an increase of 32 lakh voters over five years. However, in just five months between the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the upcoming 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections, 39 lakh new voters were added.”
The former Congress president urged the Election Commission to provide the full voters’ list of Maharashtra, including names, addresses, and photographs.
Gandhi further alleged that several voters, particularly those from Dalit, Tribal, and minority communities, have either been removed from the list or transferred elsewhere.
“We are unaware of how many voters have been deleted or where they have been shifted. We only know how many have been newly added. We suspect that the number of deleted names is significantly higher than the additions,” the Rae Bareli MP added.
Raising concerns over the Election Commission’s handling of Maharashtra’s electoral rolls, Gandhi questioned, “Why has the EC added more voters in Maharashtra within five months than it did in five years? How is it that the number of registered voters for the 2024 Vidhan Sabha election exceeds Maharashtra’s entire adult population?”
Providing a specific example, Gandhi pointed out that in the Kamthi Assembly Constituency, 35,000 new voters were added. He suggested that similar irregularities have been observed in multiple constituencies across Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut underscored the gravity of the situation, stating, “If the Election Commission is not completely compromised, it must respond to the valid questions raised by Rahul Gandhi.”
Calling the additional 39 lakh voters “floating voters,” Raut alleged, “These voters follow a pattern aligned with the BJP. They will appear in states where elections are scheduled. Some have been moved to Delhi, and later, they may be shifted to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.”
Echoing similar concerns, Supriya Sule also called for a thorough probe into the issue.
Notably, during the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Rahul Gandhi had also highlighted the alleged discrepancies in Maharashtra’s voters’ list, questioning the credibility of the electoral process.
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