The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday issued a pointwise rebuttal after Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s tweet on the Maharashtra elections. He accused the Centre of rigging the Maharashtra polls 2024 in a column in The Indian Express. He also claimed that the same will be repeated in Bihar assembly polls due later this year.
‘An affront to the rule of law’
The ECI said, “Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on 24th December 2024 itself, which is available on the ECI’s website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again.”
“Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections. After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised is completely absurd,” the poll body said.
Following Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's tweet on Maharashtra election, ECI says, "…unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to INC on 24th… pic.twitter.com/5M7Gzf1anI
— ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2025
‘Match-fixing of Maharashtra’
Rahul Gandhi posted on X, “How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. 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.
Because the match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing. Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy.”
How to steal an election?
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 7, 2025
Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy.
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… pic.twitter.com/ntCwtPVXTu
‘Adding fake voters to the electoral roll’
The former Congress President explained a five-point process. He said that step one includes rigging the panel that appoints the Election Commission, followed by adding fake voters to the electoral roll.
He further claimed that the next steps include inflating the voter turnout, targeting the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win and hiding the evidence.
“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,” Gandhi said.
Rahul labelled rigging as “match-fixing”
He further labelled rigging as “match-fixing”, saying that the side cheats might win the game but damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result.
“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 will damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers,” the Rae Bareli MP said.
Gandhi warned that the “match-fixing” of Maharashtra would come to Bihar next, where the polls are due later this year, and then “anywhere” the BJP was losing elections.
“Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy,” he added.
