'Shocking revelations': Cong seeks ECI response on discrepancies in voter turnout
Terming the reports suggesting discrepancies in the final voter turnouts in at least 79 seats during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections ‘shocking’, Congress has asked the Election Commission of India to clear the air
New Delhi: Terming the reports suggesting discrepancies in the final voter turnouts in at least 79 seats during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections ‘shocking’, Congress has asked the Election Commission of India to clear the air.
“A report by “Vote for Democracy” titled “Conduct of Lok Sabha Elections 2024” has made some shocking revelations that can shake the trust of people in our democracy”, Congress media incharge Pawan Khera said.
“If the report is incorrect, the Election Commission must clarify its stance on it and restore the faltering faith of the people in the democratic process.
“But if what is said in the report is true, then the political history of Indian democracy is seeing its turning point”, he added.
"Has the 2024 LS mandate been stolen from people of India?"
Pawan Kheras was responding to the report by Maharashtra based NGO Vote for Democracy (VFD) which in its report has analysed ‘Vote Manipulation’ and ‘Misconduct during Voting and Counting’.
“Through the poll process, serious questions have been raised about the discrepancies between the total votes polled and votes counted, as well as, the substantial unexplained hike in the turnout percentages by the Election Commission of India (ECI)”, the VFD said.
“Most significantly, the numerical analysis of the election results and voter turnout percentage conducted by us reveals that the subsequent hike in voter turnout has arguably, disproportionately benefited the ruling regime. Notably, for all the 7 phases considered together, the cumulative hike in votes from initial turnout figures to figure turnout figures is close to 5 crore votes, or 4,65,46,885 to be precise!”, it added.
The organisation claimed that the increase in the voter turnout has benefited the BJP led NDA alliance in at least 79 seats.
“This unprecedented vote percentage increase if translated into actual votes has ensured that 18 more seats were arguably won by the ruling NDA (BJP) in Odisha, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in West Bengal, 07 in Andhra Pradesh, 06 in Karnataka, 05 each in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, 03 each in Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, 02 in Assam and 01 each in Arunachal Pradesh Gujarat and Kerala”, the Vote for Democracy said.
“This means that a possible, minimum of as many as 79 seats in 15 states could have been won by the NDA/BJP through this hike of Votes”, it added.
“Notice” to the Election Commission
The Vote for Democracy said it has served a “notice” to the Election Commission of India seeking its explanation and answerability of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“This notice served has been served on the ECI on grounds of alleged gross illegalities/irregularities, vote manipulation and misconduct, spurious injection of votes as well as violations of Model Code of Conduct and Supreme Court judgements during voting and counting in the 18th Lok Sabha Election 2024 conducted under the Superintendence, direction and control of the ECI as Commission holder of repository power under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution”, the VFD said in its notice.
“In the notice before the ECI, we citizens seek explanation and answerability of the ECI on the appointment of the election commissioner in partiality, violation of People’s Act 1951, conducting election through EVMs, registration and counting manipulation in election, large scale spurious injection of votes, illogical and chaotic scheduling of election, voting misconduct and malpractices, serious violation of MCC, complaints of not providing Form 17C to the voting agents, delay in releasing voter turnout, violation of statutory directions by the Returning Officers and discrepancies between votes polled and votes counted”, it said.
The Notice to the ECI has been endorsed by MG Devasahayam (IAS, Retd. & Forum for Electoral Integrity), Prof. Harish Karnick (retd IIT Kanpur academic & Member, Independent Panel for Monitoring of Elections),), Teesta Setalvad, Dolphy D’Souza (Vote for Democracy), Dr Bharat Patankar (Lok Morcha, Maharashtra), Prafulla Samantara (Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Orissa), Shyam Gaikwad (Progressive Republican Alliance), Tara Rao and Noor Sridhar (Eddelu Karnataka), Roma (AIUFWP), KM Subhaan, Thomas Pallithanam, and Ramesh Patnaik (Meluko Andhra Pradesh), Aflatoon (Samajwadi Jan Parishad), Harkumar Goswami and Shishir Dey (Forum for Social Harmony), Dr Kushal Singh (Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Punjab), Dr. Sunilam (Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh), Jitendra Nath Nandi (Manthan Samayiki), Thomas Franco (People First), and Javed Anand (Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy).
The Election Commission has yet to comment to these claims or respond to VFD notice.
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