Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday reiterated his party’s demand for a digital voter list of Maharashtra, along with polling day video footage from both Maharashtra and Haryana.
He stated that these requests have been pending since 2024 and are significant, particularly in the context of a large increase in the number of new voters added between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Speaking to the news agency, Khera pointed out that the five-month gap between the two elections saw 40 lakh new voters added in Maharashtra, raising serious concerns.
“We have been repeating since 2024 that we require both the digital, machine-readable voter list of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election and the Assembly elections. In these five months, 40 lakh new votes have been added,” Khera said.
“First, provide us with the machine-readable digital roll. Then provide us with the footage of polling day from the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections. We are then ready to go and meet the Election Commission.”
The Congress party formally reiterated this request in a letter to the Election Commission on Thursday, after the EC extended an invitation to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss his allegations regarding the management of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In the letter, Congress wrote: “We urge you to send us a machine-readable digital version of the Maharashtra voter rolls and video recordings of polling day in Maharashtra and Haryana within a week of this letter. This is an old pending request which should not be difficult for the EC to meet.”
“The leadership of the Congress party will be glad to sit with the EC as soon as we receive these. During that meeting, we will also present our analysis findings.”
Rahul Gandhi had earlier urged the Election Commission to publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the recent Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in all states, including Maharashtra.
He emphasised that making the information available was essential to preserving the credibility and integrity of the Election Commission, and that “speaking the truth” would serve to protect the institution’s reputation.
Meanwhile, Khera also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his recent comments on the Emergency.
Responding to Shah’s remarks made during an event marking 25 June as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ (Constitution Killing Day), Khera accused the minister of distorting history and failing to acknowledge the leadership of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Describing Shah’s comments as “cowardly”, Khera argued that unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indira Gandhi showed great courage during the 1971 war and stood firm in the face of international pressure.
“This is a cowardly comment. They won’t discuss 1971, which is a proud chapter in our history. During Operation Sindoor, it was Indira Gandhi—not PM Narendra Modi—who was trending,” he said.
“In 1971, we split Pakistan into two parts. The country wasn’t as strong as it is today, yet Indira Gandhi had the courage to look President Nixon in the eye.
“He [PM Modi] is scared of China, gives them a clean chit, is afraid of America, and pulls back the army. Had he not been afraid of the United States, our army would have achieved far more,” Khera added.
On Wednesday, Amit Shah had remarked that while most unfortunate events in life can be forgotten, the Emergency—imposed between 1975 and 1977—must always be remembered.
Addressing the first formal commemoration of 25 June as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, Shah said the memory of the Emergency should be kept alive so that the youth remain committed to defending democratic values.
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