The ballot panel has stated it’ll assessment all authentic considerations of Congress.
New Delhi:
Noting {that a} clear course of is adopted with the involvement of candidates and their brokers at each stage of the voting course of, the Election Commission has invited a Congress delegation to satisfy it on December 3 over its apprehensions regarding the voting proportion in Maharashtra elections.
Congress had additionally raised some apprehensions concerning the EVM course of after the Haryana meeting polls.
The ballot panel has stated it’ll assessment all authentic considerations of Congress and supply written response after listening to the occasion’s delegation.
The Election Commission of India (ECI), in its interim response to Congress, reaffirmed that there’s a clear course of with the involvement of candidates or their brokers at each stage.
In its interim response, ECI additionally reiterated that there’s a clear electoral roll updation course of with the involvement of political events. The Commission has nonetheless assured Congress of additional assessment of all its authentic considerations, the officers stated.
Responding to the problem raised by Congress relating to voter turnout knowledge, EC asserted that there isn’t a discrepancy in voter turnout knowledge which is on the market with all candidates polling station-wise and is verifiable.
“The hole in 5 PM polling knowledge and ultimate voter turnout is because of procedural priorities, as presiding officers carry out a number of statutory duties close to the shut of the ballot earlier than updating voter turnout knowledge. As a further disclosure measure, ECI press notice, at round 11:45 pm, was thus launched through the 2024 General Elections and adopted subsequently throughout all meeting elections thereafter,” the ballot panel stated.
Congress on Friday alleged that the “integrity of your complete electoral course of is being severely compromised” and slammed the Election Commission.
The subject was mentioned on the Congress Working Committee assembly and the occasion stated it’ll launch a “nationwide motion.”
“The Congress Working Committee (CWC) believes the integrity of your complete electoral course of is being severely compromised. Free and honest elections is a constitutional mandate that’s being referred to as into severe query by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission. Increasing sections of society have gotten pissed off and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take up these public considerations as a nationwide motion,” the Congress assertion stated.
Congress basic secretary KC Venugopal, who briefed the media, stated that “electoral malpractices” additionally influenced the results of the Haryana Assembly election.
“The CWC additionally acknowledged that the occasion’s efficiency in Haryana has been opposite to all expectations. The INC ought to have fashioned the federal government within the state by a convincing margin, however it did not. However, there have been electoral malpractices that influenced the end result within the state, which have been neglected,” he alleged.
He stated that the CWC accepted the occasion’s efficiency in Maharashtra, that was “unexplainable and stunning,” and it seems to be a transparent case of “focused manipulation.”
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole additionally wrote to the ECI in search of to understand how voter turnout elevated by 7.83 proportion factors after the official polling time had ended.
“Doubts are being raised from many ranges on the 7.83 per cent improve in votes. Looking on the vote figures introduced by the Election Commission, there should have been lengthy queues on the polling stations after 5 pm on the day of voting. In what number of constituencies within the state have been there lengthy queues of voters after 5 pm?” Patole stated his letter to the apex ballot physique.
He additional demanded that the Election Commission announce “proof,” together with video footage.
“According to the official figures launched by the Election Commission, 65.2 per cent voting was finished until 11.30 pm on November 20. The official figures launched on the subsequent day, i.e. on November 21 at 3 pm, have been 66.05 per cent. Where did the 1.03 per cent discrepancy within the figures formally launched by the Election Commission itself come from? How did a whopping 9 lakh ninetynine thousand and 300 and fifty 9 votes improve in a single day?” he requested.
The opposition has raised questions over EVMs, mentioning the rise in voting proportion within the Maharashtra polls.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi – comprising the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Sharad Pawar and the Congress – received simply 46 seats.
The BJP emerged as the most important winner with 132 seats within the Maharashtra meeting whereas its allies–the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar–won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
The Maharashtra meeting elections have been held on November 20 and the outcomes have been declared on November 23.