“Totally Baseless”: Election Commission Responds to Rahul Gandhi’s “Match-Fixing” Allegation

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s renewed allegations of “match-fixing” in the upcoming November 2024 Maharashtra elections, the Election Commission has re-issued a document first released in April and dismissed the Congress leader’s claims as “completely absurd.”

In a swift counter, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Election Commission for releasing what he called “unsigned, evasive notes,” insisting that such documents do not adequately address the serious concerns he raised. He further challenged the Commission to answer his questions directly and publicly release CCTV footage from polling stations in Maharashtra after 5 PM on election day.

Writing in an op-ed for The Indian Express on Saturday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned the legitimacy of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Despite a stronger performance in the Lok Sabha polls earlier that year, the Congress, along with its allies—the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena—suffered a heavy defeat. Collectively, the alliance won only 46 of 288 seats, while the BJP secured 132, and its allied NCP and Shiv Sena factions added another 98 seats.

Gandhi raised concerns about alleged manipulation of the electoral process, including the inclusion of fake voters in the rolls, inflated voter turnout, bogus voting, and irregularities in the appointment of the Election Commission. He also accused the poll body of concealing evidence. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi warned that similar manipulation could occur in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections later this year.

In its response, the Election Commission stated that no credible complaints were raised by Congress candidates or polling agents during the voting process.

“Voting at each polling booth was conducted in the presence of polling agents appointed by candidates and political parties,” the EC said. “No official complaints of irregularities were made during the scrutiny process before the Returning Officers or Election Observers the following day.”

It further noted that almost no substantial objections had been filed regarding the electoral rolls. “Out of 9,77,90,752 registered voters in Maharashtra, only 89 appeals were filed with the first appellate authority (District Magistrate), and just one was submitted to the second appellate authority (Chief Electoral Officer). This indicates there was no significant grievance from the Congress or any other political party,” the Commission stated.

Calling the allegations baseless, the EC highlighted that political parties, including the Congress, had appointed thousands of Booth Level Agents—27,099 by the Congress alone—underscoring the transparency of the process. It criticized the repetition of these claims as a disregard for established facts, pointing out that these details had already been publicly shared in a reply to the Congress on December 24, 2024.

An Election Commission official added that “over 1 lakh booth-level officers in Maharashtra are still waiting for even one concrete appeal under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950,” referencing the legal route to challenge voter list entries.

The Commission reaffirmed that India’s elections are conducted in strict accordance with the law and are internationally recognized for their integrity and scale.

“Spreading misinformation undermines not only the law but also the dedication of thousands of party-appointed representatives and lakhs of polling personnel who work tirelessly to ensure free and fair elections,” it stated. “Casting doubt on the Election Commission after an unfavorable outcome is not just misleading—it is, frankly, absurd.”