Congress demands EC to explain 48 lakh increased voters in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Congress has raised a question over the increase of 48 lakh voters within six months after the Lok Sabha election 2024. The party alleged that the voter lists in the Assembly election were manipulated resulting in victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that the ECI (Election Commission of India) has cheated the people of Maharashtra. The Congress’s allegations came on the day President Droupadi Murmu presented the Best Electoral Practices Award to S.Chockalingam, Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, for demonstrating exemplary performance in ensuring the smooth conduct of elections in the state.
The Congress had contested Maharashtra Assembly election in November 2024 in an alliance with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) as ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA). The alliance failed to win even 50 out of 288 Assembly seats.
On the occasion of the 15th National Voters’ Day, the Congress party staged protests across the state.
Speaking with the reporters in the party’s office Gandhi Bhavan in South Mumbai, National President of Professional Congress Praveen Chakravarty said that the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections lies with the ECI. However, the ECI has failed to uphold this standard during the Maharashtra Assembly elections. A significant discrepancy in the electoral rolls benefitted the BJP alliance, he claimed.
“Within just six months after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the voter count increased by 48 lakh for the Assembly elections. Notably, between the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections — five years — the voter count increased by 32 lakh. So, how could the voter count increase by 48 lakh in just six months?” Mr. Chakravarty asked.
The Congress leader also pointed out that the ECI claims Maharashtra has 9.7 crore voters for the Assembly elections. However, according to the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra’s adult population above 18 years is 9.54 crore. “This raises the question of how there is a discrepancy of 16 lakh voters. The electoral rolls show several irregularities. For instance, in the Shirdi constituency’s Loni village, 5,000 voters were registered at a single address. When Congress candidate Prabhavati Ghogare asked these voters for identity and residence proof, it was revealed that they were not local residents. A complaint was registered with the ECI, but no response was received,” he said.
Mr. Chavan said that although the ECI should be congratulated on National Voters’ Day, the people of Maharashtra are not willing to extend any greetings. “The discrepancies in the voter rolls for the Assembly elections are a major issue. The Congress Party is fighting against the ECI's partiality. As many as 100 defeated MVA candidates have filed petitions in various courts across the state,” the former chief minister said.
