New Delhi:
The Congress – nonetheless fuming over defeat within the Maharashtra election – submitted an “pressing memorandum” to the Election Commission Friday, asking for an in-person assembly to red-flag “sure critical and grave inconsistencies… in knowledge associated to polling and counting processes”.
In a 12-page doc submitted this afternoon, the Congress additionally referred to doubts about voter knowledge that had been raised by former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and raised two factors of concern.
The primary was “arbitrary deletion of voters. and subsequent addition of over 10,000 voters in every constituency” and the second was an “inexplicable enhance in voting percentages…”
Based mostly on these factors, the Congress has alleged a systemic effort to attempt to scale back the variety of voters (and votes) “sympathetic to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (the opposition alliance, of which the Congress is a member, and which misplaced closely to the BJP-led Mahayuti mix)”.
Here’s a memorandum simply submitted to @ECISVEEP on the Maharashtra meeting elections by Shri @NANA_PATOLE, Shri @MukulWasnik, and Shri Ramesh @chennithala
They’ve raised critical points that are being mentioned within the public area. They’ve requested the EC for an in-person… pic.twitter.com/K4zfx5tjhF
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 29, 2024
The Congress has urged the EC to conduct an intensive investigation into its complaints.
Congress’ Complaints To EC
Among the many claims made in its submission to the EC, the Congress mentioned the “arbitrary inclusion/deletion of voter information” led to an “unprecedented enhance of (round) 47 lakh voters being added to the electoral roll from between July 2024 and November 2024”.
“It’s vital to notice that out of the 50 Meeting seats the place there was a mean enhance of fifty,000 voters, the ruling regime and its allies secured victory from 47…” the Congress mentioned.
The Congress submitted alleged manipulation of voter listing on the Tuljapur seat for instance, noting “faux Aadhaar playing cards had been created by people with differing images and names” to forged unlawful votes.
The Tuljapur seat – held by the Congress’ Madhukarrao Chavan from 1999 to 2014 – was received by the BJP’s Ranajagjitsinha Patil by 37,000 votes. That is the primary time the BJP has ever received this seat.
On the second red-flag – i.e., discrepancies in voter turnout knowledge – the Congress identified the EC’s common voter turnout at 5 pm was 58.22 per cent, and that this jumped to 65.02 per cent by 11.30 pm.
“Additional, there was one other enhance in voting proportion, finally being reported as 66.05 per cent, a number of hours previous to counting. From a typical sense viewpoint, over 70 lakh votes being forged within the closing hour of polling is implausible and unprecedented in electoral historical past…” the Congress reasoned.
“Even assuming time taken by one particular person to forged their vote is 2 minutes… it’s unimaginable for the Election Fee to have even come out with the ultimate knowledge by 11.30 pm, contemplating that 76 lakh voters would have exercised their franchise inside the final hour of polling…”
“It’s submitted,” the Congress’ letter concluded, “that the mentioned discrepancies increase a number of questions in regards to the method through which the election was carried out throughout Maharashtra.”
Congress’ Complaints About Haryana Loss
Persevering with claims about voter fraud, the sluggish charge at which knowledge is printed (on the EC’s web site) on counting day, and the credibility of EVMs, or digital voting machines, made headlines earlier this month too, after the Congress complained in regards to the Haryana ballot end result.
Exit polls had anticipated the get together to say a convincing win and the day started properly, with the Congress surging into an early huge lead. Nevertheless, as counting continued the BJP scripted a comeback and, ultimately, a snug win to say a historic third time period within the state.
A livid Congress refused to simply accept the decision, insisting EVMs had been hacked and elevating questions on alleged delays within the Election Fee publishing voting knowledge on-line.
EC’s Response To Earlier Congress Criticism
On complaints in regards to the Haryana end result, the EC had hit again exhausting, criticising the Congress for making “baseless allegations… when confronted with inconvenient electoral outcomes”, and warning it, and different events, in opposition to “unfounded and sensational complaints” throughout voting and counting processes.
READ | “Haryana Electoral Course of Flawless”: EC Hits Again At Congress
BJP Slams Congress
The Congress’ complaints about EVMs and potential voter fraud, in the meantime, have been picked up and trashed by the BJP. On Thursday the profitable get together identified that if its rival’s declare about defective EVMs are true, then the outcomes of elections that they had received ought to be questioned too.
READ | “If They Lose, They Cry. But If They Win…”: BJP Mocks Congress On EVMs
“In the event that they lose, they begin crying about EVMs. And, in the event that they win, the Congress wins… It isn’t the EVM, it’s the Congress’ intentions which might be unhealthy!” the BJP mentioned in a Hindi publish on X.
READ | “Jharkhand Election Fair But If We…”: D Fadnavis On EVM Moans
Within the remaining spherical of elections for 2024, the Congress-led INDIA bloc retained energy in Jharkhand, thanks largely to Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. However the nationwide get together was thumped in Maharashtra, with the BJP main its allies to a landslide win.
READ | Priyanka Gandhi Takes Oath As MP Holding Copy Of Constitution
The Congress did, nonetheless, handle to retain the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat; senior chief Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a sensational electoral debut from Kerala.
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