'All polls held as per law': EC tells Rahul on Maharashtra poll rigging allegations

New Delhi: The Election Commission has formally written to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his allegations of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, saying all polls are held by it strictly as per laws passed by Parliament and rules. It also emphasised that the entire poll exercise involves thousands of personnel, including booth-level agents appointed by political parties. In a letter emailed to Gandhi on June 12 in response to his article in a leading daily, the EC said the entire election process is conducted in a decentralised manner at the assembly constituency level, which 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.

Also 1,08,026 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are appointed by National and State Political Parties, including 28,421 of Congress, across Maharashtra. "We presume that any issue regarding conduct of elections would have already been raised through election petitions filed in the competent court of law (high court) by the INC candidates," it told the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. "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," the poll authority said.