The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made headlines in Maharashtra newspapers this week by raising the issue of additions made in the state's voter list before the assembly polls that happened in November of 2024. Rahul Gandhi insisted in his speech that he was not levelling any allegations but only raising questions and doubts about the latest voter list, which, he claimed, had increased by over 70 lakh voter names. Rahul sounded sensational during his speech in the Lok Sabha and gave the media a new issue to discuss. However, the EC had come out earlier with a clarification that the number Rahul Gandhi was quoting was inflated by 21 lakh. What is interesting is the fact that just a few days ago, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Raj Thackeray, too, had raised questions about the authenticity of the poll process during the assembly polls and cast some doubts over how the voting increased so suddenly. The questions now being raised in political circles are about whether such allegations, or questioning the poll process in any state, would really help the cause of the political party raising them, or will they, in fact, end up demoralising party activists?

It is true that many, including observers from the media and political leaders, were taken aback to see the results of the state assembly polls in Maharashtra. It turned out to be a clean sweep for the BJP-led Mahayuti, and the BJP won 132 seats in the state assembly,........

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