'Something wrong happened in Maharashtra elections': Rahul Gandhi asks EC to 'come clean'

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said there is "a serious problem" with India's election system and alleged that "something wrong" happened in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new party headquarters, Rahul said that Congress and opposition have been asking for voter lists of Maharashtra and Haryana elections but the EC has refused to share it.

"I want to ask you why would the Election Commission refuse to give us voters' lists of the Maharashtra election. What purpose is served by not giving us and the rest of the opposition the voter lists of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha election? Why will it damage the EC? Why are they not giving us the list?" he said.

Rahul said that it is EC's duty to ensure transparency in the elections.

"If there is an increase of one crore in (the number of) voters in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha in Maharashtra, it is the duty and sacred responsibility of the Election Commission to show us exactly why this has happened. There is a serious problem with our election system," he said.

Rahul said they might find it "very difficult" to accept this because they were the people who have put in place the election system.

"But we have to keep it in mind there is a problem. And it is the duty of the Election Commission to come clean and give us the data of the Maharashtra and Haryana elections," he added.

Rahul said that he previously mentioned that "something wrong" has happened in Maharashtra elections.

"I said clearly that we are not comfortable with the way the Election Commission is holding elections. I said very clearly that the large number of new voters that have suddenly appeared, almost a crore new voters that have suddenly appeared between Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha is problematic," he said.

"I had put a challenge clearly in front of the Election Commission. I said clearly to the Election Commission through that meeting that it is your duty to make the voter list transparent to the opposition," the former Congress president said.

In the Maharashtra elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti stormed to power after winning 235 out of 288 seats. The BJP alone won 132 seats, decimating the Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had said earlier that there was "something fishy" about the election resultsm indirectly indicating wrongdoing.

(With inputs from PTI)