Rahul Gandhi: Fadnavis' seat saw 8% voter rise in 5 months

Rahul Gandhi Alleges "Vote Theft" in Fadnavis's Constituency, Demands Digital Voter Rolls, CCTV Footage

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of failing to address serious electoral discrepancies in Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's constituency. Gandhi claimed that the voter list in Nagpur South West saw an unusual 8% surge in just five months, with some booths witnessing a 20–50% spike.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi described this as “vote theft,” citing reports from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who alleged that unknown individuals had cast votes. He also referred to media investigations that uncovered thousands of voters with unverifiable addresses.

"In Maharashtra CM's constituency, the voter list grew by 8% in just 5 months. BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes. Media found voters with no verified address," Gandhi posted, demanding the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage from polling booths.

His demand follows the Election Commission's recent revision of guidelines that reduce the retention period for CCTV footage and election photos to 45 days — a move Gandhi criticised as a “cover-up” and “poison for democracy.”

On June 21, Gandhi had accused the Election Commission of "match-fixing" the polls, saying the deletion of CCTV footage undermines the electoral process.

In response, EC sources defended the policy, stating that public release of such footage could compromise voter privacy and lead to intimidation or discrimination. They argued that Gandhi’s demands, while appearing logical, were contrary to the legal framework outlined in the Representation of the People Act and recent Supreme Court directives.