Congress flags 47-lakh surge in voter nos five months before polls

Mumbai: The Congress has approached the Election Commission of India (ECI), raising concern over the “inexplicable” rise in voter numbers in 50 of Maharashtra’s 288 assembly constituencies within just five months. The party has termed the unprecedented registration of 47 lakh new voters a potential electoral fraud and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.

To bolster its claim, the party has cited a First Information Report (FIR) lodged in the Tuljapur assembly constituency, where large-scale fake voter registrations were allegedly facilitated using fraudulent documents like Aadhaar cards. The Dharashiv cyber police registered the FIR on October 17, highlighting fake voter registrations between October 2 and October 16. A copy of the FIR was submitted to the ECI along with a 12-page memorandum.

The memorandum, submitted by senior Congress leaders Nana Patole, Ramesh Chennithala and Mukul Wasnik, claims that between July and November 2024, voter numbers in the state surged by an unprecedented 47 lakh. The surge was disproportionately concentrated in 50 constituencies, which recorded a rise in voter numbers by at least 50,000.

“It is significant to note that out of the 50 assembly constituencies where there was an average increase of 50,000 voters, the ruling regime and its allies secured victory in 47 of them,” the memorandum stated.

The memorandum further said that the increase in voter numbers created a doubt that existing safeguards of ECI have not managed to curb electoral fraud. “This mandates the commission to immediately undertake a thorough investigation and prepare a detailed report on the addition and deletion of voters in Maharashtra,” it demanded.

The memorandum also raised concerns about the spike in voter turnout after 5pm on polling day. “The voter turnout at 5 pm on polling day was reported as 58.22%. By 11:30 pm the same night, it increased to 65.02%, and by the next day, November 21, it further rose to 66.05%, which is equivalent to a massive rise of 76 lakh votes,” it noted.

Demanding a clear response from the commission and a hearing in person, the memorandum said, “These instances which are corroborated with numerical data published by this commission raises a concern on the conduct of free and fair elections in the state. These doubts are further strengthened by the lack of any cogent response by the ECI addressing these doubts.”