Mumbai (Thestates.news)| Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, Nana Patole, on Thursday criticised the Election Commission for its alleged inefficiency on the day of counting of votes for state assembly elections, questioning discrepancies in the voting data. Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the party candidates at party head office here, he said that the discrepancy in the voting percentage during the Maharashtra Assembly elections is a serious and alarming matter.
He said that given the rise in voter turnout after 5 PM, there should have been extremely long queues at polling stations. According to data released by the EC, by 5 PM on the polling day, the voter turnout was 58.22 percent, but by 11:30 PM that night, it had increased to 65.02 percent and the next day on November 21, it rose further to 66.05 percent, reflecting a total increase of 7.83 percent.
“This translates to an increase of nearly 7.6 million votes. How did this increase occur?,” he questioned and demanded that the Election Commission must release a video footage of polling booths where the voting percentage surged. The MPCC chief said that the EC must provide evidence of such queues and release CCTV footage from these polling booths.
Additionally, why the EC did not hold a customary press conference to provide updates after polling, he questioned. Even experts from various fields across the country have raised doubts about the sudden spurt in voter turnout, casting serious doubts on the credibility of EC, he argued.
It is EC’s duty to respond to the questions raised by political parties, candidates and others, he noted. The Congress party is raising this issue not because of its electoral defeat but to protect democracy and the Constitution of the country, he reasoned. Patole, while accusing the ruling BJP and the EC of colluding to mock democracy, warned that the Congress party will fight the issue of voting discrepancy both in courts and on the streets. (UNI)
MPCC chief criticises EC over discrepancy in poll percentage
