Can EC announce date by which electoral-roll data of Haryana, Maharashtra will be handed over asks Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday lauded the Election Commission's (EC) reported decision to share the electoral-roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra as "a good first step" and urged the poll body to announce the exact date by which the data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format.

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha shared the screenshot of a media report that claimed that the EC has cleared the way for sharing the electoral-roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra from 2009 to 2024, following an assurance it gave to the Delhi High Court earlier in the year.

There was, however, no official word from the EC on the reported move as yet.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Good first step taken by EC to hand over voter rolls."

"Can the EC please announce the exact date by which this data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format?" the former Congress chief asked.

After Gandhi sought the EC's response on his article alleging rigging in last year's Maharashtra Assembly election, sources in the poll authority said on Sunday that the constitutional body would respond only if the leader of opposition writes to it directly.

They also pointed out that as part of its outreach, the EC had invited all six national parties for separate interactions. While the other five met the EC brass, Congress cancelled the May 15 meeting.

Gandhi hit back at the EC on Saturday after sources in the poll panel rejected his allegation of rigging in the Maharashtra election, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would.

In an article published in "The Indian Express", Gandhi had alleged "match-fixing" in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would next happen in the Bihar election and "anywhere the BJP is losing".