Election Commission responds to opposition's voter addition allegations ahead of assembly polls

After Opposition leaders brought out allegations of surprise voter addition before the state assembly polls, the Election Commission of India said it will respond in writing to the allegations. "ECI considers political parties as priority stakeholders...The Commission would respond in writing with full factual and procedural matrix uniformly adopted across the country," ECI posted on X. However, sources in ECI refuted the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Sanjay Raut and NCP -SP leader Supriya Sule.

On December 3, a delegation of Congress leaders had met with the ECI raising similar concerns and the ECI had responded to their concerns in writing on December 24. The ECI had said the actual addition was 48,81,620 electors and deletion of 8,00,391 resulting in a net addition of 40,81,229 electors in the electoral roll between the period of the LS elections 2024 to Maharashtra assembly elections. The ECI, in the letter, clarified that due to the recent amendments in the Representation of People's Act,1950, there are four qualifying dates in a calendar year -- January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.

Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the number of voters added in the last five months were higher than the voters added in the last five years. However, sources in ECI told ET that the total number of additions happened in the last five years before 2024 was 1,22,83,681 which is much higher than the 48.8 lakh which was added to the LS and assembly elections 2024 in the state.


Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the constituencies where a large number of voters were added, were won by the BJP. ECI sources said that there were only six assembly constituencies where more than 50,000 voters were added.