Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Big variation in final voter turnout data 'worrying': Ex-Chief Election Commissioner

Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi aired concerns over the big variation in the provisional voter turnout data and the final numbers in the Maharashtra Assembly polls which were held on November 20, and results for which were declared on November 23.

Speaking to India Today, Quraishi said "That definitely worries me. These figures are updated in real time. When we go to vote, there is a form 17A and our attendance is marked by the presiding officer. At the end of the day, form 17C is filled with the total happenings of the day. Only after it is filled and the signatures of the agents of the candidates are taken, the presiding officer goes home."

In the western state, the voting figures at 5 pm on Nov 20 was 55 per cent, but the final numbers released a day later saw it climb to 67 per cent.

Quraishi, who has been CEC between 2010 and 2012 labelled this trend as 'worrying'.

"This is real-time data generated on the same day. Then how can the data change the next day I fail to understand," he told the publication, adding that the poll body should address and explain this matter.

He raised the issue of doubts persisting in the minds of many Indians and noted that if this continues, then trust might be lost in the entire electoral system.

Even as Quraishi spoke on the numbers discrepancy, the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer explained, "In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the voting percentage at 5 pm was 58.22 per cent (approximate) and the final voting percentage was 66.05 per cent. This is normal as voting continues even after 1800 hrs, till the last person who stood at the queue at 1800 hrs votes."

Notably, Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (SP) have raised doubts over the numbers jump.

A similar concern had been raised in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections in May, when there was a 5-6 per cent discrepancy between the initial and final turnout figures.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) even filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking polling-wise voter turnout data within 48 hours of each polling phase. The request was junked by the SC, which cited practical challenges with the Election Commission arguing that these disclosures would pose logistical problems.

Maharashtra Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here

Jharkhand Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here

Bypoll 2024 results | Check Karnataka results here

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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