The Election Commission of India (ECI) has responded to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of large-scale voter fraud in the Haryana Assembly elections, raising questions about the credibility of his claims. As per ANI, sources within the EC noted that no appeals were filed against the electoral rolls, and only 22 election petitions remain pending in the High Court for Haryana’s 90 assembly seats.
The Commission questioned why Congress polling agents did not raise objections at polling stations if they suspected duplicate voters. They also asked whether Gandhi supports or opposes the SIR (Systematic Information Revision) process, which removes duplicates, deceased, or shifted voters while verifying citizenship.
Read more: Haryana ‘vote chori’ allegations, Rahul Gandhi claims 25 lakh fake votes and one Brazilian model's face used 22 times to vote
Additionally, the EC asked why no claims or appeals were filed by Congress BLAs (Booth Level Agents) during roll revisions, which could have prevented multiple names from appearing.
The EC further pointed out that Gandhi’s assertion that duplicates voted for the BJP contradicts official records, which show that many of these votes went to the Congress itself. They also clarified that “House Number Zero” applies to areas where municipalities or panchayats have not assigned house numbers, and questioned why no appeals were filed during Bihar’s SIR process from 1 August to 15 October.
Haryana CEO Shares Electoral Data
The Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana provided additional context, detailing the election process:
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, claiming around 25 lakh votes were manipulated. At a press conference titled ‘The H Files’, he said:
“We have crystal clear proof that 25 lakh voters are fake, that they either don’t exist or they are duplicates or designed in a way for anybody to vote. We suspected this was happening not just in individual constituencies, but at the state and national levels.”
Gandhi added that complaints from Congress candidates in Haryana indicated that their predictions were unexpectedly overturned, citing similar experiences in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
While Gandhi’s allegations have sparked political controversy ahead of the Bihar elections, the EC and Haryana CEO’s data provide detailed procedural evidence that counters his claims.
Inputs from ANI
The Commission questioned why Congress polling agents did not raise objections at polling stations if they suspected duplicate voters. They also asked whether Gandhi supports or opposes the SIR (Systematic Information Revision) process, which removes duplicates, deceased, or shifted voters while verifying citizenship.
Read more: Haryana ‘vote chori’ allegations, Rahul Gandhi claims 25 lakh fake votes and one Brazilian model's face used 22 times to vote
Additionally, the EC asked why no claims or appeals were filed by Congress BLAs (Booth Level Agents) during roll revisions, which could have prevented multiple names from appearing.
The EC further pointed out that Gandhi’s assertion that duplicates voted for the BJP contradicts official records, which show that many of these votes went to the Congress itself. They also clarified that “House Number Zero” applies to areas where municipalities or panchayats have not assigned house numbers, and questioned why no appeals were filed during Bihar’s SIR process from 1 August to 15 October.
Haryana CEO Shares Electoral Data
The Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana provided additional context, detailing the election process:- Draft Electoral Rolls for the 2024 Assembly elections were published and shared with recognised political parties on 2 August 2024.
- During the SSR (Summary Revision), a total of 4,16,408 claims and objections were received.
- The state had 20,629 BLOs (Booth Level Officers).
- Final Electoral Rolls were published and shared with all recognised parties on 27 August 2024, with no appeals filed against the EROs or DMs.
- Electoral Rolls were finalised on the last date of withdrawal and shared with contesting candidates on 16 September 2024.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, claiming around 25 lakh votes were manipulated. At a press conference titled ‘The H Files’, he said:“We have crystal clear proof that 25 lakh voters are fake, that they either don’t exist or they are duplicates or designed in a way for anybody to vote. We suspected this was happening not just in individual constituencies, but at the state and national levels.”
Gandhi added that complaints from Congress candidates in Haryana indicated that their predictions were unexpectedly overturned, citing similar experiences in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
While Gandhi’s allegations have sparked political controversy ahead of the Bihar elections, the EC and Haryana CEO’s data provide detailed procedural evidence that counters his claims.
Inputs from ANI
