New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday hailed the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to release electoral roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra spanning from 2009 to 2024. While welcoming this “good first step,” Gandhi quickly pressed the poll body to specify the exact date by which this crucial information would be provided in a digital, machine-readable format, emphasising the need for swift and accessible data.
“Good first step taken by EC to hand over voter rolls,” Gandhi posted on X. “Can the EC please announce the exact date by which this data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format?” he asked in the second part of the same tweet.
Good first step taken by EC to hand over voter rolls.
Can the EC please announce the exact date by which this data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format? pic.twitter.com/SbW3DrCapK
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 9, 2025
This development comes amid a heated political exchange, with Gandhi recently accusing the EC of “match-fixing” in the Maharashtra state polls, a claim the poll body swiftly dismissed as “completely absurd.”
The EC’s order follows persistent efforts by Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, who first formally requested this electoral data in December 2023, particularly after the state polls in Maharashtra and Haryana. Facing delays, Surjewala escalated the matter by filing a writ petition in the Delhi High Court.
In February, the EC had informed the court that examining such extensive data would require time, seeking three months to issue a speaking order after potentially hearing the petitioner. However, last week, the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of both states issued orders allowing Congress leaders to obtain the comprehensive voter roll data from the 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024 elections from the relevant district and election officers.
Meanwhile, the political temperature remains high. Rahul Gandhi’s earlier “match-fixing” accusation regarding the Maharashtra assembly elections drew strong criticism. Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday vehemently countered Gandhi, accusing him of “insulting” the people’s mandate by rejecting the 2024 state assembly poll results.
Writing in The Indian Express and Loksatta, Fadnavis contended that Gandhi was pre-emptively crafting excuses for anticipated future defeats of his party, including in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, directly responding to Gandhi’s claims of a “blueprint for rigging democracy” and the alleged “match-fixing” tactic.
