MVA allies back Rahul Gandhi over claims of voter roll irregularities

The NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday backed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi after he alleged that the ECI (Election Commission of India) helped the BJP secure victory in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections by allowing irregularities in the voter rolls.

NCP (SP) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray cited Gandhi’s presentation on alleged electoral discrepancies to criticise the poll body. Both parties are allies of the Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra.

Sule said Gandhi had presented "shocking details of irregularities in the electoral rolls" and urged journalists to independently examine the data.

“How will the Election Commission stop duplicate entries in the voter rolls and voting? The Haryana voter roll also had a non-resident as a voter,” she told reporters. She termed the presentation “data-driven” and said it deserved scrutiny.

Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the Haryana elections were "stolen", claiming that 25 lakh voter roll entries were fake and that the ECI colluded with the BJP to ensure the latter's win.

Sule also questioned the timing of upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, saying the electoral rolls should have been revised first. “Due to advanced technology, the voter rolls could have been corrected in a month, and elections could have been conducted in January 2026. What was the hurry?” she asked.

Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats will be held on 2 December, with counting on 3 December, state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced earlier this week.

Sule said party units will decide whether the NCP (SP) contests the local polls independently or in alliance.

Thackeray said Gandhi’s claims raised concerns beyond party lines. “This is about the value of every Indian’s vote,” he said in a post on X, alleging that the Election Commission allowed manipulation in voter rolls. He said the Sena (UBT) had earlier highlighted alleged voter list discrepancies in Maharashtra, including in the Worli constituency. “We held huge protests, but the Election Commission refuses to act,” he said.

Thackeray described Gandhi’s allegations as part of a larger fight for “free and fair elections across India — for democracy and our Constitution”.

During his presentation, titled 'The H-files', in New Delhi, Gandhi claimed that a “centralised plan” involved repeated use of the same photograph in voter lists across multiple booths in Haryana's Rai constituency, using different names.