Election Commission Denies Rahul Gandhi’s Claims

The Election Commission of India has firmly rejected allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding voter fraud. Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding in electoral misconduct, but the Commission dismissed these claims as “new wine in an old bottle.” The panel referenced a previous incident from 2018 involving a petition by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, which alleged errors in the state’s voter roll. The Supreme Court had denied Congress’ request for a searchable voter list, citing that the Election Commission is not required to provide such a format.

Congress’ Allegations and EC’s Response

In 2025, the Congress party again raised concerns about duplicate entries in electoral rolls, claiming that names appeared multiple times across different locations. The Election Commission countered this by providing an example of a voter named Aditya Srivastava, whose registration in three states had already been corrected months prior. The Commission criticized Gandhi for attempting to mislead the public and reiterated that the law outlines specific procedures for addressing errors in voter lists.

Supreme Court’s Stance on Voter List Format

The Supreme Court had previously ruled that while draft voter lists must be published, there is no legal requirement for them to be in a machine-readable format. The Election Commission retains the authority to decide the format of these documents. Despite this, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have persistently demanded a searchable version of the voter list to identify potential duplications or errors.

Political Reactions and Implications

Rahul Gandhi’s allegations have sparked significant political debate. He claimed that voter fraud cost Congress seven Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka and led to their defeat in the Maharashtra election. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya dismissed these accusations as political theatrics designed to sow doubt and undermine confidence in India’s electoral process. The ongoing dispute highlights tensions between political parties and the Election Commission over electoral integrity.