The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a strongly worded rebuttal to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations that the Maharashtra Assembly elections held in November 2024 were “rigged.” The Commission dismissed the claims as “unsubstantiated allegations” and called the accusations an “affront to the rule of law.”
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on social media platform X, had shared an article authored by him, claiming that the Maharashtra polls were manipulated. He further alleged that the same “blueprint” would be used to influence the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The article laid out what he described as a “five-step rigging process” without furnishing verifiable evidence.
How to steal an election?
Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy.
My article shows how this happened, step by step:
Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission
Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll
Step 3: Inflate voter… pic.twitter.com/ntCwtPVXTu— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 7, 2025
In response, the ECI released a statement asserting that such remarks not only disregard previously clarified facts but also erode public trust in democratic institutions. “Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law,” the statement read.
The Commission pointed out that all issues raised by the Congress were already addressed in a formal response dated December 24, 2024, which remains publicly accessible on its official website. “It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again,” it added.
Condemning the attempt to question the integrity of the electoral process, the ECI said, “Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections.”
Following Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s tweet on Maharashtra election, ECI says, “…unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to INC on 24th… pic.twitter.com/5M7Gzf1anI
— ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2025
The Commission further said that making such claims after an unfavorable election outcome was “completely absurd” and an attempt to undermine the credibility of a constitutionally empowered institution.
