The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The Maharashtra leadership of the Congress on Friday (November 29) submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI) raising concerns over alleged arbitrary deletion and addition of voters prior to the elections and a sharp increase in voter turnout figures from 5:30 pm to 11:30 pm on the day of polling.
Showing concerns over lack of “fairness and transparency” in the electoral process, Congress leaders Nana Patole, Ramesh Chennithala, and Mukul Wasnik wrote to chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and fellow election commissioners seeking their intervention in the matter. The Congress had also alleged possible foul play on the day when Maharashtra assembly election results were declared, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) Mahayuti secured over three-fourth majority.
The leaders claimed that in the months leading up to the elections, a large number of voters were arbitrarily deleted from the electoral rolls, while “roughly 10,000” voters were similarly added in every constituency.
“With this exercise of unchecked and arbitrary deletion and consequent insertion of voters, the state of Maharashtra witnessed an unprecedented increase of an estimated 47 lakh voters being added to the electoral roll from between July 2024-November 2024 (sic),” the leaders wrote in their memorandum, alleging manipulation of electoral rolls after the Lok Sabha polls.
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“It is significant to note that out of the 50 assembly constituencies where there was an average increase of 50000 voters, the ruling regime and its allies secured victory from 47 of these constituencies (sic),” they said, adding that the issue was raised before the ECI in October, 2024 itself but failed to evoke a “cogent action” by the institution.
They said that their allegation was corroborated by a voter registration officer who got an FIR registered at Dharashiv cyber police station against a large number of fake voter registrations in Tuljapur assembly seat.
The leaders also expressed their worry over the way the ECI significantly increased the figures while sharing the voter turnout.
“As per the data made available by this Hon’ble Commission, the polling percentage across the State of Maharashtra at 5:00 pm was 58.22%. The said percentage was later reported to be 65.02%. as of 11:30 pm on the same day. Further, there was another increase in the voting percentage, ultimately being reported as 66.05%, several hours prior to counting,” the memorandum said.
“It is submitted that as per the voter data provided by the Hon’ble Commission, between 5:00 pm and the close timing of polling i.e., 6:00 pm on 21.11.2024, approximately 76 Lakh votes were cast.Further, there was yet another hike of approximately 10 Lakh voters only hours prior to the counting of votes on 23.11.2o24,” it said.
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The Congress leaders said that the increase in voter turnout implied that over 70 lakh voters cast their votes in the closing hour of polling, which is “implausible and unheard of in electoral history”.
“Even assuming the time taken by one individual to cast their vote is two minutes, it is impossible for this Hon’ble Commission to have even come out with the final data by 11:30 pm considering that 76 lakh voters have exercised their franchise within the last hour of polling,” they said.
They referred to the former CEC S.Y. Quraishi who had said earlier that voter turnout is recorded and updated in real time and that there was no “logical explanation” of why voter turnout figures have been increasing drastically in the last few elections.
The leaders went on to seek an “in-person” hearing with the ECI and urged it to provide a “clear response justifying the inconsistencies and the discrepancies which have been reported both prior to the elections and post elections”.