Rahul Gandhi repeats ‘rejected demand’ for machine-readable voter rolls

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has drawn sharp criticism for ‘reiterating’ allegations of irregularities in India’s electoral rolls, accusations that Election Commission of India’s sources say echo previously rejected claims and disregard established legal procedures.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Gandhi alleged that multiple entries and duplications in the voter list compromise the integrity of the electoral process. However, these assertions have been dismissed by ECI as a rehash of similar allegations made in 2018 by then Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Kamal Nath, allegations that were rejected by the Supreme Court at the time.

According to sources, the 2018 Supreme Court judgment in the Kamal Nath case settled the question of machine-readable electoral documents and the reliability of ECI’s voter databases.

“Rahul Gandhi raising the same issues now shows either ignorance of the law or a deliberate attempt to undermine public trust,” said officials.

In 2018, Kamal Nath had approached the Supreme Court claiming that the electoral rolls in Madhya Pradesh showed multiple entries of the same faces, up to 36 times, based on data sourced from a private website. The court, however, found no merit in the claim, particularly after the Election Commission of India (ECI) demonstrated that the supposed discrepancies had already been rectified months prior to the petition. The court refused to grant the relief sought, including the demand for searchable PDF formats of electoral rolls.

Notably, the Congress party had been supplied with the updated voter list well in advance, further weakening their claims. Sources say this episode set a clear precedent regarding the treatment of such grievances.

In his recent remarks, Rahul Gandhi alleged that similar discrepancies still exist, including multiple entries of the same name across different states. One example he cited was a voter named Aditya Srivastava, allegedly listed in three different State rolls. However, ECI sources assertively said that this error had been corrected months ago, and the updated rolls had been duly published.

Sources have pointed out that these latest claims seem designed more to generate political noise than to raise substantive legal concerns, especially since the standard procedures for objection and rectification of electoral rolls are publicly known and accessible.

Sources say that Rahul’s repeated targeting of the ECI, without presenting new evidence or following the prescribed legal process, reflects poorly on his regard for the judiciary. (IANS)