How were 39 lakh voters added to Maharashtra in just 5 months? asks Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (February 7) questioned the alleged anomalies in the voter list of Maharashtra, which he alleged saw the addition of a whopping 39 lakh voters in just five months.

Stating that it took five years, from 2019 to 2024, for the state to add 32 lakh voters, Rahul questioned how then it took just five months – between the Lok Sabha polls and the Assembly elections in 2024 – for the state to get an additional 39 lakh voters.

The Mahayuti alliance led by BJP registered a thumping victory in the Assembly polls last year, amassing 235 of the 288 Assembly seats, months after a performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

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“In five years between the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2019 and Lok Sabha, 2024, 32 lakh voters were added. However, in a period of five months, between the Lok Sabha polls of 2024, which these parties (Congress, NCP(SCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT)) won and Vidhan Sabha elections, 39 lakh voters were added. The question is, who are these 39 lakh voters? That is equivalent to the total number of voters of Himachal Pradesh. The second point is, why there are more voters in Maharashtra than the entire voting population of the state?” Rahul said questioning the sudden creation of voters in Maharashtra.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha made the allegations while addressing a joint press conference with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule.

Rahul said that the number of voters added was as much as the entire population of Himachal Pradesh.

EC says state has more voters than its population: Rahul

Stating that his claims are not speculative, Rahul said the voters were added where the BJP has won in the Assembly polls.

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“We need to clearly present the difference between two things. One is speculation. One can say that there were problems in the machines. The second is fact. I have not placed any speculation here. I have presented facts. Fact number 1 is as many voters as the population of Himachal Pradesh have been added (to Maharashtra). The constituencies wherever they have been added are BJP constituencies, they have been added wherever BJP has won. Final fact, the Election Commission says there are more voters than the population of Maharashtra. These are not speculations. These are facts. This is not our data, this is EC's data,” he said.

Rahul demands EC for voter list

The Congress leader also demanded the EC to provide the voter lists to explain the anomaly.

“We are saying that there are factual anomalies...90 per cent strike...EC is the final authority, we are asking them. You would not be able to explain us how there are more voters in Maharashtra than the population of Maharashtra...So, you need to give us now the voter lists, so we can explain it. I am sure that if they give is the voter list, we will have another press conference here where the answers to these questions will be available to you,” he said.

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Rahul also raised concerns over alleged deletion of certain voters from the voters’ list and the transfer of several others, especially those from Dalit, tribal and minorities communities.

‘Many voters have been deleted’

“We have been saying to the EC that we are finding anomalies. We need the voter list – names and addresses of the voters of Maharashtra. We need the voter list of the Lok Sabha election. We need the voter list of the Vidhan Sabha election. Because we want to understand exactly who these new additions are... There are many, many, many voters that have been deleted. Voters who are in one booth have been transferred to another booth. Most of these voters come from Dalit communities, tribal communities, and minority communities.”

“We have made repeated requests to the EC. They have not answered us. The leader of the opposition has said this in Parliament House. The election commission has not responded. Now, the only reason they would not respond is that there is something wrong with what they have done. I am not making any accusations. I am presenting data here clearly," he added.

Sule demands paper ballot

NCP (SCP) leader Sule demanded re-polls on the ballot paper even at constituencies where the party has won.

“We want re-elections on the ballot paper to be held even at those constituencies where our candidates have won... 11 seats are such where we lost the elections because of confusion between party symbols. Even the party in power has accepted this. We made many requests to change the symbol from 'Tutari' – but the request wasn't entertained... We only demand the EC to be fair," she said.

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Responding to Rahul’s allegations, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the Congress leader’s statements a “cover fire” to shield his party against embarrassment from an apparent loss in the Delhi Assembly polls.

“EC has categorically replied to all the questions. Rahul is doing a cover fire as he knows that after the February 8, Delhi election results, his party will be nowhere in Delhi and hence, what he will speak on that day, how he will create a new narrative, he is practising for the same. If Rahul does not introspect and will continue to console himself with lies - his party's revival isn't possible. Rahul Gandhi should introspect his defeat," Fadnavis said.

Will respond with full facts: EC

Responding to Rahul’s claim that the EC itself has accepted that the electorate of Maharashtra is bigger than its population, the commission has said that it will respond to the allegations in writing and with “full facts”.