Transparency not a favour, but a constitutional obligation: Kharge to EC

New Delhi: Insisting that democracy cannot survive on "opaqueness and unverifiable data", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the credibility of the Election Commission (EC) is at stake as he joined top party leader Rahul Gandhi in questioning the conduct of Maharashtra elections last year.

"Transparency is not a favour, it is a Constitutional obligation," Kharge said in a statement, as he recalled Rahul's 'match-fixing' in Maharashtra article in various newspapers where the latter repeated his questions over alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and voter turnout data.

Kharge took exception to the EC not responding officially to Rahul while questioning the authenticity of an unofficial note circulated by EC sources countering the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. He said the "lack of transparency" from a constitutional body mandated to ensure free and fair elections is "deeply concerning".

"Why is the Election Commission withholding this critical public data? If the Election Commission of India (ECI) has nothing to hide, then it must release the following data without delay: 1. Consolidated, digital, and machine-readable voter rolls for both the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, with full version history and timestamps of updates. 2. All post-5 PM CCTV footage or videography from polling booths across Maharashtra during the Assembly elections," he said.

"The Congress Party stands firm with Shri Rahul Gandhi’s call for full transparency and institutional accountability. The credibility of the Election Commission is at stake, and we urge it to uphold the standards expected of a neutral and constitutional authority. The citizens of India deserve answers. The integrity of our democracy demands it," he said.

Reiterating Rahul's claims, Kharge said there was an "unexplained" surge in the number of voters in Maharashtra -- addition of 41 lakh voters in five months between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year while it was 31 lakh in five years before that. "How did this massive and statistically inconsistent surge occur?" he said.

He also flagged "discrepancy" in voter turnout figures and sought post-5 PM CCTV footage or videography to justify the 7 per cent jump. He also questioned the "dilution" of the process of appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners and asked why Chief Justice of India was omitted from the Selection Committee.

He also alleged that the final, updated electoral rolls for both the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections have not been published and asked why is the Election Commission withholding this critical public data. "If the Election Commission of India (ECI) has nothing to hide, then it must release the following data without delay," he said.