'Developed cold feet': EC insiders slam Rahul Gandhi, Congress for ignoring invite for formal talks

New Delhi, June 8 Countering misinformation over Maharashtra elections, Election Commission insiders on Sunday shared a nine-point rebuttal to allegations by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, adding that his concerns can be formally replied to only once he writes to the poll panel.

The election body insiders also slammed Gandhi and his Congress for indulging in sensationalism through misinformation, while "developing cold feet" when invited by the EC to share their concerns over alleged poll rigging.

Countering Gandhi’s allegations of “match-fixing” in the November 2024 Maharashtra elections, made in a newspaper article on Saturday, the EC sources said the matter could have easily been raised before officials of the poll panel when it invited the party.

"Like all other national parties, when INC was invited to meet the Commission on May 15, 2025, it developed cold feet and requested some time," said an EC insider.

Hinting that the newspaper article, as such, could not be treated as a formal complaint by Gandhi, an EC insider said: "It is very intriguing that Rahul Gandhi on one side says that the issues being raised by him are very serious but when it comes to pen them down in black and white to the Election Commission, he shies away."

"As per the procedure, it is public knowledge and everyone knows that any Constitutional body, including the ECI, will formally respond only when Rahul Gandhi writes to them," he added.

"It is very strange that even after 24 hours have passed, Rahul Gandhi has neither written any letter to the ECI nor sought any time for a meeting," he said.

Gandhi stirred up a political storm by alleging discrepancies in electoral rolls, inflated voter turnout and targeted bogus voting, which resulted in the Congress and its allies managing to win only 46 seats out of 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra.

He went on to accuse the EC of being evasive and demanded publication of digital voter rolls for recent elections, including for the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly, and release of CCTV footage from the polling booths in Maharashtra after 5 p.m. on the day of voting.

Dismissing the demand for sharing CCTV footage, the EC panel said: "As per instructions of ECI, the CCTV footage of polling stations can always be scrutinised by the competent High Court in any Election Petition.”

The curbs on sharing the footage are imposed by ECI to protect the integrity of elections as well as protect the privacy of voters.

“Why does Rahul Gandhi, himself or through his agents, want to invade the privacy of voters, which is to be protected by ECI as per electoral laws? Does Rahul Gandhi not trust even the high courts now?” asked an EC insider aware of the developments.

EC sources said by alleging wrongdoings in electoral rolls, the Congress leader has indirectly blamed his own party’s Booth Level Agents, Polling, and Counting Agents of party candidates and pointed an accusing finger towards lakhs of polling officials deputed by the poll panel.

Referring to the alleged disrespect shown by the Congress leader towards hardworking poll officials, the EC insider said: "The 10.5 lakh Booth Level Officers, 50 lakh Polling Officers and 1 lakh Counting Supervisors appointed by Commission across the country are also very angry with Rahul Gandhi on these baseless allegations being made by him, questioning their integrity and hard work."

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