NEW DELHI: Stirring doubts about the Maharashtra assembly elections once again, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the addition of one crore voters between Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls was questionable, and the Election Commission had a sacred duty to provide the voters’ lists and explain the surge in the number of voters.
Rahul warned opposition leaders that “there is a serious problem with our election system” and also sought voting data of the Haryana assembly polls.
At a function held after the inauguration of the new Congress office, Rahul said the EC has refused to provide the voters’ lists to the party, wondering what purpose is served by the denial and how would Congress’s demand damage the poll watchdog.
“We are not comfortable with the way the EC is holding elections, that large number of people, one crore voters, who have suddenly appeared between Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly polls, is problematic,” Rahul said, recalling that at the CWC meeting held after the poll results, he issued a challenge to the Election Commission to furnish data.
“We want to see the names of voters who voted in Maharashtra in Lok Sabha, and names and addresses of voters who voted in the assembly polls,” he said, arguing it will clarify the doubts about Maharashtra voting.
He said, “Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight, there is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called BJP, that we are fighting a political organisation called RSS, you have not understood what is going on. BJP and RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting BJP, RSS and the Indian state itself.”
He said the investigating agencies meant to probe crimes are being used against opposition leaders and it is not clear if the institutions are functioning or not. “These are circumstances under which you are fighting this ideological battle and I must tell you that I am extremely proud of every single one of you, that you get up in the morning and you stand and you fight for what you believe in.”