Election Commission Says Its Website Functioning Seamlessly Since Launch

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly clarified that its website for E-Roll downloads is functioning seamlessly since its launch, dismissing claims of downtime as fake news. The ECI's scathing rebuke came after claims of downtime and data removal of multiple states surfaced. The ECI made the statement after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged vote theft in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which stirred a row across the country. 

The ECI's decisive statement was to dispel the unwarranted confusion and baseless allegations that have been circulating on social media platforms. According to the poll body, the primary site for E-Roll download for all states is, and it has been working without any issues. The links from the CEO websites of various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Rajasthan, are also functioning properly, as they are mapped to the primary site of ECI.

The Election Commission of India's clarification is a direct response to claims made by several social media users that the website had removed E-Voter Rolls of multiple states overnight, including Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. These claims were seemingly triggered by Rahul Gandhi's press conference on August 7, where he alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were choreographed to benefit the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi's Allegations Centred Around Congress's Analysis

Rahul Gandhi's allegations were centred around his party's internal analysis, which showed that the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but won only nine. The Congress leader outlined seven unexpected losses, with a particular focus on Mahadevapura, where he alleged vote theft involving 1,00,250 votes. According to the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, the votes were stolen in five different ways, including duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address.

"We found 1,00,250 votes stolen," he asserted, presenting his party's research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka. He added, "Stolen in five different ways. Duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address, in a building with 50-60 people living. But when we go there, there is no record of those people living there. One family lives in that house."

In response to these allegations, the ECI has categorically stated that its website is fully functional and that anyone can download electoral rolls for all 36 states and union territories through the provided link, showing its commitment to transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent allegations against the electoral body's management of voter rolls. The ECI stated that Gandhi's claims were baseless and demonstrated a lack of respect for the Supreme Court's decisions. The ECI clarified that certain rumours and baseless allegations were being made regarding the non-functioning of the ECI website, leading to unwarranted confusion. The primary site/link for E-Roll download for all states is functional, and the links from the CEO websites (UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Rajasthan) are also working fine as they are mapped to the primary site of ECI.

Has No Respect For Supreme Court's Decision: ECI

The ECI also pointed out that Rahul Gandhi's allegations were not new and had been previously raised by then-Congress leader Kamal Nath in 2018. At that time, Congress leader Kamal Nath had attempted to mislead the Supreme Court by producing documents from a private website to show alleged mistakes in the electoral rolls. The ECI pointed out that the defects had been rectified four months prior, and a copy of the same had been supplied to the party.

The ECI's response underlined the importance of respecting the law and following established procedures. "It is a settled proposition that if law requires a certain thing to happen in a certain manner, then it should be done in that manner only and not in any other manner," the commission stated. The ECI emphasised that Rahul Gandhi should have followed the legal process and not attempted to mislead the public through his allegations.

The ECI reiterated that the Kamal Nath judgment had settled the position with respect to machine-readable documents. The commission stated that raising the same issues repeatedly showed that the Congress leader had no respect for the Supreme Court's decisions. "The Kamal Nath judgement gives a settled position with respect to the machine-readable document, and raising the same issues repeatedly shows that Mr. Gandhi has no respect for the Supreme Court of India's decisions," the ECI said.

ECI Shreds Rahul Gandhi's Allegations

The ECI's statement asserted that the Congress MP's actions were an attempt to sensationalise the issue through baseless claims in the media, rather than availing himself of the legal processes available. "Instead of availing the legal processes, he tried to sensationalise the issue by making baseless claims in the media," the ECI said. The commission further stated that if the Lok Sabha LoP believed in his analysis and allegations, he should have respected the law and signed the declaration or apologised to the nation for raising absurd allegations.

The ECI also dismissed claims circulating on social media platforms that the polling body had removed the e-voter rolls of many states from its website overnight, terming it fake news. The ECI clarified that anyone can download the Electoral Roll for any of the 36 states/UTs through the provided link.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had held a press conference on August 7, where he claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were choreographed by the EC to benefit the BJP. He cited internal analysis, alleging vote theft in certain constituencies. The ECI's response underscores the importance of verifying information before making public claims.