Congress alleges ‘serious discrepancies’ in Maharashtra polls, seeks EC ptobe

New Delhi: The Congress party is still reeling from its defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections and they have approached the Election Commission with an “urgent memorandum” seeking an in-person meeting to highlight “serious discrepancies” in the polling and counting process. The party submitted a 12-page document on Friday and point the alleged irregularities in voter data and raising concerns flagged by former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi.

There were two key issues in the memorandun: the “arbitrary deletion of voters and subsequent addition of over 10,000 voters in each constituency” and an “unexplained increase in voting percentages.” The Congress said these factors indicate a deliberate attempt to suppress votes favouring the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—the opposition alliance comprising the Congress, NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Congress flags 47 lakh spike in voter roll

The party demanded a thorough investigation into these claims by the Election Commission. Among its allegations, the Congress said what it called “unprecedented manipulation” of voter record. The party cited an increase of about 47 lakh voters on the electoral roll between July and November 2024.

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The party further said that in 50 assembly constituencies, where voter rolls saw an average increase of 50,000 entries, the BJP-led ruling coalition won 47 seats. One example provided was Tuljapur, where the Congress claimed that “fake Aadhaar cards with mismatched photos and names” were used to cast fraudulent votes. Tuljapur, a Congress stronghold from 1999 to 2014 under Madhukarrao Chavan, was won by BJP’s Ranajagjitsinha Patil for the first time, with a margin of 37,000 votes.

Congress questions late surge in voter turnout

On the second issue of voting percentage anomalies, the Congress questioned the sudden spike in voter turnout. According to the party, voter turnout reported by the EC at 5 pm was 58.22 per cent, which rose to 65.02 per cent by 11.30 pm and eventually to 66.05 per cent. The Congress argued that such a surge—equivalent to over 70 lakh votes being cast in the final hour—was logistically improbable. It pointed out that even if each voter took two minutes to cast their ballot, it would have been impossible to record and process this data by 11.30 pm.

The Congress called these discrepancies “deeply concerning” and argued they cast doubts on the credibility of the electoral process in Maharashtra. The party urged the Election Commission to investigate these irregularities and ensure transparency in future elections.