On Tuesday, Election Commission (EC) sources dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s claims about unusually high voter turnout in the final two hours of the Maharashtra assembly elections. They emphasized that the Congress party had not raised any concerns about irregularities either during or after the voting process.

Rahul Gandhi, speaking in Boston, alleged that more people voted than the total adult population of Maharashtra. He cited voting data given by the EC at 5:30 pm, claiming that 65 lakh votes were cast between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm—a number he said was implausible based on the average time it takes to vote.

The EC, however, clarified that from 7 am to 6 pm, over 6.40 crore voters cast their ballots. They pointed out that, on average, around 58 lakh votes were cast every hour, making 65 lakh votes in two hours lower than the average hourly rate. They also emphasized that voting occurred under the watch of officially appointed polling agents from all political parties, including Congress.

Furthermore, EC sources noted that Congress representatives had not raised any formal objections during vote scrutiny or to returning officers the following day. On allegations of voter list manipulation, they stressed that electoral rolls were prepared under the law and shared with all political parties. Only 89 appeals were made to district magistrates and just one to the state chief electoral officer after the rolls were finalized—suggesting minimal dissatisfaction.

The EC also highlighted the presence of over one lakh booth-level officers and agents, including 27,099 from Congress, during the voter list revision process. The Commission concluded that the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi were unsubstantiated and undermined the integrity of the legal electoral process.