New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to clear his doubts regarding the free and fair conduct of last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections, pointing to his recent article in a newspaper questioning the poll panel’s impartiality.

Reminding him about earlier attempts by the poll panel to clarify his party’s doubts on electoral rolls and polling percentage during the Assembly election, ECI Secretary Ashwani Kumar Mohal, in a letter to Gandhi, has asked him to write to the Commission about the issues on which he needs further explanation, said sources.

“In view of your article published in Indian Express on June 7 on Maharashtra Assembly elections held last year, I am directed to state that similar issues were raised by the Indian National Congress (INC) after the assembly elections in November 2024. The Commission had given a detailed reply to the INC on December 24, 2024. A copy of the reply is available on the ECI website,” wrote Mohal, according to sources.

The ECI, in its letter, has even offered to set up a meeting with him to discuss matters stemming from his allegations of ‘fixed election’ and denial of CCTV footage of voting.

Inviting Gandhi for an interaction at a mutually convenient date and time, Mahal said the former may even communicate his preferred meeting time on the ECI’s email as well.

The ECI official sought to counter allegations of ‘fixed election’ and said, “All elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India strictly as per electoral laws passed by the Parliament, Rules made therein and instructions issued by the Election Commission of India from time to time.”

“As you are aware, the entire election process is conducted in a decentralised manner at the Assembly Constituency level,” he said, reiterating that the Maharashtra elections involved more than 1,00,186 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 288 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 139 General Observers, 41 Police Observers, 71 Expenditure Observers and 288 Returning Officers (ROs) appointed by the Commission and 1,08,026 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by National and State Political Parties, including 28,421 of INC, across the state of Maharashtra.

The ECI official also wondered why any genuine grievances related to the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which the Congress and its allies lost, were not raised during the election petitions in court.

“We presume that any issue regarding the conduct of elections would have already been raised through election petitions filed in the competent court of law by the Congress candidates,” wrote the official, according to sources.

However, if you still have any issues, you are welcome to write to us, and the Commission is also willing to meet you in person at a mutually convenient date and time to discuss all issues. A convenient date and time may be communicated in this regard at the email ID clection@eci.gov.in, said the letter addressed to Gandhi.

In his newspaper article earlier this month, Gandhi repeated his allegation of “match-fixing” in the November 2024 Maharashtra elections.

Last week, Gandhi again trained his guns at ECI and wrote on X, “It is clear – the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy.”

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that attempts by Opposition parties to seek information on voter lists and CCTV footage of voting had run into a wall, raising doubts over the entire exercise being rigged.

Sources in the poll panel, however, clarified that safeguarding the privacy and security of voters is non-negotiable, and video footage of voting cannot be shared with political parties or any petitioner unless ordered by a competent court.

–IANS

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