'What were Congress polling agents doing?': ECI dismisses Rahul Gandhi's Haryana 'vote chori' allegations

The ECI's reaction came as Rahul claimed that around 25 lakh entries in the voter list used for Haryana Assembly elections were fake and the polls were "stolen".

New Delhi: Election Commission officials on Wednesday, sought to dismiss Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's allegations of 'vote chori'  (vote theft) in Haryana as "unfounded" and asked why did Congress not flag flaws in the electoral rolls, claiming that no appeals were filed during revision of voter lists.

Officials said 22 election petitions are currently pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court while asserting that the Congress leader could share the evidence of Rai and Hoodal seats which he referred to in his press conference in the court.

The reaction came as Rahul claimed that around 25 lakh entries in the voter list used for Haryana Assembly elections were fake and the polls were "stolen".

"What were the polling agents of Congress doing in polling stations? Why were no claims and objections raised by Congress Booth-Level Agents during revision to avoid multiple names? What were the polling agents of Congress doing in the polling stations? They are supposed to object if the elector has already voted or if the polling agents doubt the identity of the elector," an official said.

The official said  "zero appeals" were filed against electoral rolls.

Referring to Rai and Hoodal seats, the official said, "since election petitions have been filed in both the constituencies filed for Haryana assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi may be advised to use all his evidence there." 

The official also asked whether Rahul supports the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which is aimed at removing duplicate, dead, and shifted voters along with verification of citizenship. "Or is he opposing SIR," the official asked.

In the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 48 seats while the Congress won 37 seats and INLD two seats. Independent candidates bagged three seats in the 90-member Assembly.

In a post on 'X', the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana said they had received 4.16 lakh claims and objections after the draft electoral rolls were published on August 2 last year but after the final rolls were published on August 27 last year, no appeals or second appeals were filed with District Magistrates or the CEO. Complaints and objections received by the Returning Officer during counting of votes were only five, the CEO added.