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Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a meeting in Boston addressing the Indian Diaspora, alleged that the Election Commission (EC) in India was "compromised", further stating that there was something very wrong with the system.
Citing the example of the Maharashtra elections, the Senior Congress leader stated that there was an addition of 65 lakh voters to the voter list in two hours, which was impossible. "More people voted in Maharashtra than the total number of people in Maharashtra, and this is a fact... the Election Commission gave us a figure in the evening around 5:30 p.m., and in two hours around 7:30 p.m., 65 lakh voters had voted, which is physically impossible..." he claimed, addressing the meeting. "It's very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, there is something very wrong with the system..." he further said. Earlier, sources in the Election Commission stated that allegations made by Political parties about manipulated electoral rolls were unfounded. According to the sources, hardly any first or second appeals were made under Section 24 of the Representation of People act, or correction of any entries in Electoral Rolls (Section 22) or Inclusion (Section 23) during the recent Special Summary Revision published on January 6-7 2025. The Special Summary Revision (SSR) involves reviewing the voter list and unveiling a draft electoral roll. It is often held prior to elections and aims to uphold a just and transparent voting process by adding newly eligible voters, including those who have reached the age of 18 or have changed their constituency. It also involves the elimination of duplicate and deceased voters According to sources, just 89 appeals were recorded in Maharashtra. While there were 13,857,359 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in the country only 89 appeals for changes in the electoral rolls were made. Therefore, the sources said, there was no option but to accept the Electoral Rolls published after the completion of SSR in January 2025 as undisputed by all. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi also spoke about India's relations with the United States in his address to the diaspora in Boston, hoping that the two countries would continue to work together. "We have a partnership with the US, and hopefully we will continue to work together," Rahul Gandhi said. Expressing his gratitude, he thanked the people for carrying the ideologies and the flag of Congress to the United States. "You believe, you listen to other people, and you respect them. This is what runs in the Congress party and in our family.... Thank you for carrying the flag here, it's a very powerful thing to do..." he said. The LoP in the Lok Sabha is also to address the Brown University on Monday as part of his tour to the United States. (ANI)
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