After losing Maharashtra, Congress says election process has been compromised | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Claiming that the Maharashtra elections were compromised, the Congress told the EC on Friday that there was an “inexplicable” surge in voter turnout in the last hour that added 76 lakh votes, and the government BJP alliance manipulated the voters’ list, resulting in an “inexplicable” increase of 47 lakh voters in the five months after the Lok Sabha polls.
It demanded an urgent personal hearing with EC while seeking an inquiry. Interestingly, it dodged any complaint against EVMs just days after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge sought a return to ballot papers.
The Congress claimed that out of 50 seats in the assembly, with an average increase of 50,000 voters, the BJP alliance won 47.
Talking about “glaring discrepancies” in the turnout data, the EC’s provisional figure at 5 pm was 58.2%, which rose to 65% at 11:30 pm, adding 76 lakh votes, which then rose to 66 %, which garnered another 10 lakh votes. .
The Congress Working Committee, meanwhile, decided to launch a national movement against the ‘compromised electoral process’ and blamed the defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana on institutional bias and electoral malpractices. Sources said there were a number of voices urging caution in attacking EVMs even as they agreed on the issue of bias in the EC.
“CWC believes that the integrity of the entire electoral process is being seriously compromised. Free and fair elections are a constitutional mandate that is being seriously questioned by the partisan functioning of the EC… Congress will take up these public concerns as a national movement. ,” said a resolution.
Abhishek Singhvi is reported to have argued that EVMs should be discarded but suggested a gradual approach – that until the system reaches a stage where voting machines can be replaced, there should be 100% matching of VVPATs or 10% VVPATS in hand.
According to sources, Ajay Maken, Rajiv Shukla and Gaurav Gogoi supported the approach but added that it was about the larger issue of the EC’s ‘bias’. Rahul Gandhi is said to have fleetingly mentioned EVMs while arguing that the problem was related to the functioning of the EC.
But Shashi Tharoor said he was cautious that just talking about EVMs may not resonate with the people, while Maken wondered how the party would contest the polls if it raised doubts about the machines.