Election Commission of India (ECI) dismisses Rahul Gandhi's voter fraud allegations in Haryana polls

NEW DELHI: After the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, dropped what he called his "H-Bomb" -- alleging large-scale voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections -- Election Commission of India (ECI) sources said the Congress party has filed no appeals or objections regarding electoral rolls during the revision process.

Gandhi on Wednesday accused the ECI of "stealing votes" at the behest of the ruling BJP, claiming that 25 lakh votes were bogus in a state with roughly two crore voters -- amounting to "one in every eight voters" or 12.5 per cent fake entries.

He alleged that the exit polls had projected the Congress party to win, but the BJP retained power through rigging, duplicate voters and "bulk voting".

Responding to the charges, ECI sources dismissed the allegations as baseless and questioned the Congress' own vigilance during the electoral process.

"What were the Congress polling agents doing inside polling stations?" a senior official asked.

"Polling agents are required to object if a voter has already voted or if there is a doubt about their identity," the official said.

Sources said that during the electoral roll revision, Congress Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not file claims or objections regarding alleged duplicate, shifted or dead voters.

"Why were no claims and objections raised by INC's BLAs to prevent multiple entries?" ECI sources said, adding that the party also filed no appeals at the revision stage.

The ECI pointed out that only 22 election petitions are currently pending in various High Courts for 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, which the sources said is normal litigation volume for a state election of this size. (IANS)

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