Write to EC formally: Poll panel sources on Rahul seeking reply on election rigging claim

They also pointed out that as part of its outreach, the EC had invited all six national parties for separate interactions. While the other five met the EC brass, Congress cancelled the May 15 meeting.

New Delhi: As Rahul Gandhi sought its response on "serious questions" raised by him on Maharashtra rather than issuing "unsigned, evasive" notes, Election Commission sources on Sunday said the poll body will respond only if the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha formally writes to it.

With the Congress leader demanding CCTV footage of polling in Maharashtra during the evening hours, sources said such footage can always be scrutinised by a High Court in any election petition, while arguing that restrictions were placed on sharing footage to protect the integrity of elections and privacy of voters.

"Why does Rahul Gandhi want to invade the privacy of voters which is to be protected by EC as per electoral laws?," a senior EC official said adding that the Congress leader should trust the High Courts.

The EC's response came as Rahul had said that evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would after the EC rejected his claims in a newspaper article that there was "match-fixing" in Maharashtra elections.

In newspaper articles, Rahul had claimed that Maharashtra results were “glaringly strange” and the “scale of rigging was so desperate that, despite all efforts to conceal it, tell-tale evidence has emerged from official statistics, without reliance on any non-official source”.

EC sources also said Rahul is actually targeting Booth Level Agents appointed by his own party and polling and counting agents appointed by Congress candidates in Maharashtra when he alleges discrepancies in the electoral rolls of the state.

As EC can formally respond only when he sends a letter, they said Rahul has neither written any letter to the poll body nor sought any time for a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

Sources also claimed Congress was invited to meet the Commission on May 15 but it wanted a postponement and the meeting has not happened so far. Five other national parties have met the EC. Congress had intimated the EC that it would not have been proper to meet immediately after Operation Sindoor.