Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | ECI must clarify how voter turnout rose by over 7 per cent after polling ended: Patole

Patole claimed that the voting percentage was 58.22 at 5 pm but rose by 7.83 percentage points at 11.30 pm. The ECI must clarify this “discrepancy” as it puts a question mark on transparency, he said.

Mumbai: The Congress on Thursday raised doubts about the jump in voting percentage in Maharashtra that occurred on polling day and demanded an answer from ECI.

“According to the data released by the Election Commission, the voter turnout was 58.22 per cent at 5:00 pm on the polling day on 20 November, 65.02 per cent at 11:00 pm on the same night and 66.05 per cent the next day on 21 November, resulting a total increase of 7.83 per cent,” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole told reporters in Mumbai. 

“How has the percentage of voting increased? It is very clear that this is an increase of almost 76 lakh votes” said Patole and requested the Election Commission to release video footage of the polling stations so that the crowd could be seen. 

“The Election Commission has robbed people of their votes,” said Patole.

The issue was discussed at a meeting held at Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters in which key leaders including former minister Balasaheb Thorat, state working president and CWC member Naseem Khan, former ministers KC Padavi and Yashomati Thakur, Dr Vishwajeet Kadam, MLA Bhai Jagtap, and state vice president (organization and administration) Nana Gawande were present.

Patole criticised the Election Commission’s inefficiency, citing discrepancies in the voting data. 

He argued that given the rise in voter turnout after 5:00pm, there should have been extremely long queues at polling stations.

"The Election Commission must provide evidence of such queues and release CCTV footage from the polling booths,” Patole said and questioned  why the Election Commission did not hold a press conference, as is customary.

“Experts from various fields across the country have raised doubts about the increased voter turnout. This has cast serious doubts on the credibility of the Election Commission. It is Election Commission's duty to respond to the questions raised by political parties, candidates, and others,” he said.

“The Congress Party is raising this issue not because of its defeat but to protect democracy and the Constitution," he added.

Nana Patole accused the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding to mock democracy. He warned that the Congress party will fight the issue of voting discrepancies both in courts and on the streets.