The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited a Congress delegation for a meeting on December 3 to address concerns raised about voter turnout discrepancies and allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering during the Maharashtra elections. The meeting aims to ensure transparency and address the apprehensions expressed by the opposition party.
In response to Congress’s allegations, the EC reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent electoral process involving candidates and their agents at every stage. The commission emphasized that voter turnout data is accurate and verifiable at the polling station level, dismissing claims of discrepancies.
“The gap in 5 PM polling data and the final voter turnout is due to procedural priorities, as presiding officers perform multiple statutory duties near the close of polling before updating voter turnout data,” the EC stated. It added that the practice of releasing additional data at around 11:45 PM was introduced during the 2024 General Elections and has been consistently followed since.
Congress, however, has remained critical, alleging that the integrity of the electoral process has been “severely compromised.” The issue was prominently discussed at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with the party vowing to launch a national movement to safeguard free and fair elections.
“The Congress Working Committee believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections are a constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission,” the CWC said in a statement.
The EC, in its interim response, reiterated the involvement of political parties in the electoral roll updating process and assured Congress that all legitimate concerns would be reviewed and addressed in writing after the upcoming meeting.
The allegations by Congress stem not only from the recent Maharashtra elections but also from concerns raised earlier about the EVM process during the Haryana assembly polls. As the political temperature rises, the December 3 meeting is set to be a crucial moment in the ongoing debate over electoral transparency and accountability.
