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New Delhi: Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of helping the BJP win the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections through “fake voters,” the poll panel issued a sharp rebuttal, questioning why the Congress had not raised any formal objections during the revision or verification of electoral rolls.
EC officials said that as per established law and procedure, electoral rolls are shared with all recognised political parties before publication to allow them to scrutinise and file claims or objections. “If the Congress believed there were fake or duplicate voters, why did it not file a single appeal?” an EC official asked.
“What Were Congress Polling Agents Doing?”
Citing procedural safeguards available during elections, EC officials said: “Only 22 election petitions are currently pending in the High Court against 90 Assembly constituencies in Haryana. What were the polling agents of the Congress doing in polling stations? They are supposed to object if an elector has already voted or if the agent doubts the voter’s identity. That is the established procedure under law.”
The EC said Gandhi’s claim that one in eight voters was fake was “unsupported by facts” and ignored the extensive system of checks built into the electoral process, including Booth Level Agents (BLAs) who represent political parties during voter list revisions.
“Is Rahul Gandhi Supporting the Roll Purification Drive?”
The Commission also asked whether Rahul Gandhi supported the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently being conducted across the country. “Is Rahul Gandhi supporting the nationwide SIR which aims to remove duplicate, dead and shifted voters, along with verifying citizenship—or is he opposing it?” officials said.
They pointed out that during the revision process, no claims or objections were raised by the Congress’s block-level agents. “Why were no appeals filed by INC’s BLAs during revision to avoid multiple names? Someone is saying these alleged duplicates voted for the INC. How does Rahul Gandhi know they voted for BJP? The ballot is secret,” the EC said.
“House Number Zero Not Linked to BJP Workers”
Responding to Gandhi’s claim that “House Number Zero” entries in Haryana’s voter rolls corresponded to addresses of BJP workers, the EC clarified that such numbering was used for dwellings where local bodies had not assigned house numbers. “House Number Zero is also used for houses where Panchayats or Municipalities have not given official numbers. The video clip of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar shown by Rahul Gandhi is incomplete and taken out of context,” officials said.
EC on Bihar Allegation
Reacting to Gandhi’s assertion that similar voter list manipulation could occur in Bihar, EC sources pointed out that during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state—from August 1 to October 15—the Congress had not filed any appeals or objections. “During SIR in Bihar, why were no appeals filed by INC between August 1 and October 15?” an EC source asked. The Election Commission’s response marks a rare and detailed counter to a political leader’s charge, underscoring that parties have institutional avenues to address electoral roll discrepancies rather than levelling post-election allegations.
