We all know that On August 7, 2025, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, accused the ECI of orchestrating voter fraud in the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka He alleged massive anomalies: duplicate entries (~11,956), invalid addresses (~40,009), bulk registrations (~10,452), invalid photos (~4,132) and misuse of Form 6 (~33,692) Now, is this a self goal as always said by oppostion parties or otherwise , and what experts had to say about this What EC had to say: The ECI called the claims baseless and asked Gandhi to substantiate them under oath, in line with Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Notices were issued by the CEOs of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana, asking for a signed declaration within 10 days or face possible consequences.

What does the rule say: Legally, Rule 20 applies only during the draft electoral roll stage-not post-election. After the final list is published, disputes can only be addressed in court via an election petition under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, within 45 days of the result announcement. That window has passed, meaning no administrative remedy remains. Legally, post-election administrative recourse via Rule 20 is no longer viable. Any formal challenge must now navigate court-based election petitions- but the timeline has already passed. • Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 applies only during the draft voter list stage-before elections. • Gandhi’s allegations are about past elections (e.g., Mahadevapura 2024) where the final roll was already in use. • Once the roll is final, Rule 20 no longer provides a remedy-only an election petition in court can challenge it, and that had to be filed within 45 days of results (which has expired). Experts and political observers generally view the EC's demand for a sworn affidavit as legally misguided and procedurally invalid. The law doesn’t support using Rule 20 post-election The final submission is EX CEC MR Rawat, said in a interview that EC is not following the rule book and it should have orderd an enquiry , which would have made the issue dead in less than a day