70 lakh voters added suddenly: Rahul on Maha poll results

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that about 70 lakh voters, equivalent to Himachal Pradesh's population, were added to the electoral rolls in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and state elections, and demanded the Election Commission furnish data to opposition parties in the state.

Speaking to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Gandhi raised several questions over the integrity of the Maharashtra polls held in November last year in which the BJP-led Mahayuti won a massive mandate, and said he was confident the EC would not provide the details sought by the opposition parties.

With a copy of the Constitution in hand, Gandhi said this is supported by the "vote of our people and without a secure vote, the Constitution means nothing".

"Now, I want to bring to the notice of this House some data about Maharashtra polls. Between the Lok Sabha polls, which the INDIA bloc won, and the assembly elections, the number equivalent to the population of Himachal was added to the voting rolls of Maharashtra," Gandhi told the House, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance.

Gandhi claimed that the difference between the Lok Sabha polls in June and the state polls in November was that almost 70 lakh voters suddenly arriving.

"More voters were added in Maharashtra in five months between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls than in five years," the former Congress president said.

Citing an example, he claimed that in a building in Shirdi, about 7,000 new voters were added after the Lok Sabha polls.

"I am not making an allegation, I am only saying that there is something problematic that the population equivalent to that of Himachal was added in Maharashtra through magic after the Lok Sabha polls," Gandhi said.

"We have requested the Election commission repeatedly that we are not making an allegation, 'give us the Lok Sabha voters' list and that of the Vidhan Sabha...we are saying to the EC that 'please give us names and addresses of voters of all booths from the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections', so we can calculate who these voters are," Gandhi said.

He said the new voters have been added mostly in constituencies where the BJP eventually won.

"I am still not making an allegation. I am saying on the floor of the House that the EC has to give the data of Maharashtra elections to the Congress, Shiv Sen (UBT) and NCP (SC)," Gandhi said, adding that the opposition will get to see exactly where these voters have been added and who has been subtracted.

He said the Election Commissioner used to be chosen by a committee comprising the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the chief justice but the chief Justice was removed from the panel by the government.

"This raises a crucial question for the Prime Minister: why was this change made?In a few days, I will be attending a meeting with Mr. Amit Shah and Mr. Modi, which seems like an uneven playing field, with a 2:1 ratio. What's the point of my attendance? Am I merely there to rubber-stamp what Modi ji and Amit Shah ji say?" he said.

The presence of the Chief Justice would have facilitated a more balanced discussion, he said, adding this change to remove the CJI appears to be a deliberate strategy.

"Furthermore, the Election Commissioner was replaced just before the Lok Sabha elections, two election commissioners were appointed. To safeguard the Constitution, the entire Opposition is requesting data on the Maharashtra Election," Gandhi said.

Gandhi's address was centred around on what an INDIA bloc government's presidential address would look like.

"The third element of the presidential address would be a determining the defence of India's institutions, democratic system, a re-look at the entire democratic framework and looking again at all the institutions that have been taken away from the people of India," Gandhi said.

His remarks in the Lower House came a day after the Congress set up an eight-member committee -- Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) -- to monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India.

The committee will first take up the Maharashtra voters' list "manipulation" issue, and submit a detailed report to the leadership at the earliest, the party had said in a statement.

Gandhi had last month alleged that there is a "serious problem" with the country's election system and that the Election Commission needs to ensure there is transparency in polls.

Maintaining that "something wrong" has taken place in the Maharashtra assembly elections, he had said the Congress and the opposition have been asking for voter lists of Maharashtra and Haryana elections, which the EC is refusing to provide.

He had demanded that the EC come clean on the issue.