The Election Commission (EC) is urging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to formally lodge a complaint regarding his allegations of "industrial scale rigging" in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. This comes after Gandhi published an op-ed in several newspapers, reigniting the controversy surrounding the election results.

Gandhi's op-ed highlighted what he described as significant "anomalies" in the electoral rolls, including an unexpected increase of approximately 4.1 million voters between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Maharashtra. He also questioned why a majority of these new votes went in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gandhi has described the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections as a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and alleged a "match-fixing" between the BJP and the EC. He further claimed that this "match-fixing" would next occur in Bihar and then anywhere the BJP is losing.

The EC has refuted Gandhi's claims as "unsubstantiated" and stated that they are ready to respond formally once a written complaint is received. Sources within the EC have revealed that Gandhi has not submitted a formal complaint nor sought a meeting with the poll panel to discuss his concerns. They point out that constitutional bodies like the EC can only formally respond to allegations when they are presented in writing.

The EC sources also mentioned that the Congress party had been invited to a meeting on May 15, but they requested a postponement, and the meeting has yet to take place. They added that five other national parties have met with the EC.

The EC official said that 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.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also criticized Gandhi for undermining the democratic process with baseless allegations. He accused Gandhi of disrespecting the public mandate and spreading "poison" by constantly casting doubts on democratic institutions.

The BJP has also accused Rahul Gandhi of attacking democratic institutions to undermine people's trust in the electoral process, claiming he was doing so to pre-empt his party's defeat in the upcoming elections as he cannot garner public support.

The controversy continues to escalate, with the EC emphasizing the importance of a formal complaint to initiate a proper investigation and response. The poll body sources claimed that the 10.5 lakh Booth Level Officers, 50 lakh Polling Officers, and 1 lakh Counting Supervisors appointed by the Commission all across the country are also disappointed with Rahul Gandhi over the allegations being made by him, questioning their integrity and hard work.