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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called for a detailed discussion in Parliament regarding claimed inconsistencies in the Maharashtra electoral roll for the 2024 assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi highlighted the repetition of Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers and other anomalies in the electoral roll, which, he said, were serious questions regarding the credibility of the electoral process.
“All the opposition is calling for a thorough debate on the voter list in Parliament,” Gandhi stated in a Lok Sabha meeting. “I have been complaining about irregularities in Maharashtra’s voter list more than a month ago.”
Maharashtra’s voter list under scrutiny
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi and his party colleagues questioned the Maharashtra voter list for the upcoming assembly polls.
They alleged that in five months, more voters were included than had been added over the last five years and that the number of voters crossed the state’s adult population. Rahul also charged that the BJP was the party that gained due to this unexplained increase in voters, especially in seats where the party won.
TMC’s accusations against the election commission
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of West Bengal also expressed similar fears, alleging that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is “planting fake voters” in favor of the BJP. The TMC requested that the ECI take care of these allegations, specifically the duplicated EPIC numbers, which they say must be one of a kind.
In response, the Election Commission has maintained that duplicated EPIC numbers do not indicate fake voters. The Commission further assured that it would respond to the concerns raised by political parties in due course.
Rahul Gandhi’s call for transparency and accountability
Reiterating his demand for transparency in Parliament, Gandhi said the questions on the voter list are still unanswered. “New evidence of duplicate names in the voter list has emerged, raising even more serious questions,” he said, bringing attention to the need to resolve these issues to maintain democratic principles.
The debate about the voter list continues to be a major political issue, with parties such as TMC vying to take center stage in the struggle for electoral transparency.
