Rahul Gandhi questions EC credibility, flags Maharashtra voter surge in US address

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission of India was "compromised" and pointed to what he described as serious irregularities in the electoral process, particularly during the Maharashtra elections.

Speaking at a gathering of the Indian diaspora in Boston, Gandhi claimed that there was an implausible spike in the number of voters during the last Maharashtra election. “More people voted in Maharashtra than the total number of people in Maharashtra, and this is a fact... the Election Commission gave us a figure in the evening around 5:30 p.m., and in two hours around 7:30 p.m., 65 lakh voters had voted, which is physically impossible,” he said.

He further stated, “It's very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, there is something very wrong with the system.”

In response to such allegations, sources within the Election Commission dismissed the claims as unfounded. They said the accusations lacked merit given that barely any formal complaints or appeals were lodged during the latest Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, published in January 2025.

The SSR is a routine exercise conducted to update voter rolls, add newly eligible voters, and remove duplicates or deceased names to maintain electoral accuracy. According to the EC, just 89 appeals were recorded in Maharashtra. Despite the presence of over 13 million Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across the country, only a negligible number of corrections were sought, the sources said.

“Therefore, the electoral rolls published after the completion of SSR in January 2025 must be considered undisputed,” an EC source noted.

In his address, Gandhi also touched upon India’s bilateral ties with the United States. “We have a partnership with the US, and hopefully we will continue to work together,” he said.

He expressed appreciation for the diaspora's continued support for the Congress ideology. “You believe, you listen to other people, and you respect them. This is what runs in the Congress party and in our family.... Thank you for carrying the flag here, it's a very powerful thing to do,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to speak at Brown University on Monday as part of his ongoing tour of the United States.