Rahul Gandhi Questions Election Commission’s Integrity in Maharashtra Elections

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in India’s Lok Sabha, has accused the Election Commission of being “compromised”. He said there’s something really wrong with how the system works.

While speaking to people from India living in Boston, Gandhi highlighted an issue with the recent elections in Maharashtra. He claimed that 6.5 million people had been added to the voter list in just two hours, which he thinks is impossible. “More people voted in Maharashtra than the total number of people living there. In the evening, around 5:30 p.m., the Election Commission said how many people had voted, and just two hours later, by 7:30 p.m., it showed that 6.5 million voters had voted. That can’t happen!” he stated.

Gandhi believes this proves that the Election Commission isn’t working properly.

Earlier, the Election Commission had responded to these claims, saying that Gandhi’s accusations were not based on real facts. They pointed out that not many people had raised concerns about changes to the voter list during the recent reviews held in early January 2025.

The Election Commission explained that the Special Summary Revision (SSR) helps keep the voter list updated by adding new eligible voters, like those who turned 18 or changed where they live, while removing duplicates and deceased voters. However, they revealed that only 89 appeals for changes were made in Maharashtra, which is very few compared to the many agents involved in overseeing the elections.

They concluded that the voter list created after this process is valid and accepted by everyone involved.