CPI(M) Questions Over 85,000 Jump in Final Vote Data Within 24 Hours in Dhule, Maharashtra

New Delhi: Amid questions over the role of the Election Commission of Indian (ECI) in ensuring a free and fair poll to protect the world’s largest democracy, the CPI(M) has found a glaring gap of over 85,000 votes in the EC's poll data in Dhule, Maharashtra, within 24 hours!

https://x.com/mahacpimspeak/status/1793093810010083716

“Appreciate Returning Officer Shri Abhinav Goel for providing updated Format A and B of total votes polled in 02 Dhule PC Why is there an increase of 85943 total votes polled in 24 hours?”  @mahacpimspeak tweeted on X on May 22, 2024.

According to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the updated forms given by the returning officer noted a total turnout of 11, 31580 votes cast at 9 p.m on May 20, when the polling was done in the constituency.  A day later, the Left party said that the figure given was 12, 17, 523, an increase of almost 5%, which the party said was an “abnormal’ increase in just 24 hours.

Reacting to this huge “discrepancy” in the total number of votes polled, CPI(M) leader K K Shailja, former Kerala Health Minister said: “Something very strange is happening with the Election Commission throughout the current phases of voting. The difference between the approximate and final figures shows an abnormal increase.”

Speaking to Southfirst.com, CPI(M)’s Maharashtra secretary, Uday Narkar, said: “In the first four phases (of the Lok Sabha elections), there is a huge variation between the figures furnished by the EC soon after polling and the data released later.”

Recall that the ECI had released the final turnout data 11 days after polling day for the first phase, and four days after polling for phases two, three, and four.

Narkar said “This data reveals a difference of 1.07 crore votes compared to the earlier approximate trends,” adding that they had written to the EC “to furnish the poll data with absolute numbers at the booth level. The booth-level data is already with them, which is how they provided the figures but they are not releasing it. We are waiting for their reply.”

The Congress, too, has expressed concerns over the “discrepancy” in voter turnout figures in just 24 hours.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said in an X post that "First, the Election Commission takes 10-11 days to bring out the final figure of voting and then the difference between real-time data and the final figure turns out to be 1.7 crore votes. This is truly unprecedented. Unanswered questions about the missing EVMs are also very worrying."

Note that recently, fearing “vote manipulation” during the final counting on June 4,  a Citizens’ Vigilance Commission has been set up by over 120 civil society groups, former bureaucrats and individuals, who said they had “lost trust in the EC” due to its failure to take action on numerous complaints.

The Maharashtra CPI(M)’s disclosure of a marked rise in number of votes comes amid a hearing by the Supreme Court on a plea filed by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) on the issue. During the hearing on May 17, the apex court gave time to the EC to respond to the plea, listing the hearing on May 24, a day before the sixth phase of polling on May 25.

ADR had filed a public interest litigation seeking directions to the EC that “scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part-I (Account of Votes Recorded)” of all polling stations be uploaded immediately after the polls.

Incidentally, this year, the EC has also abandoned the practice of holding a press conference after each phase of polling to clear the air, if any, in the media, among the people and political parties.

What raises even more questions over the lack of transparency in the poll process is the EC telling the SC in an affidavit that there is “no legal mandate” to provide final voter turnout to any person other than the candidate or his/her agents.

Recall that the Opposition INDIA bloc has raised several queries on the conduct of free and fair polls this year. In fact, much before the announcement of poll dates, INDIA bloc parties sough appointments with the EC at least seven times to share their concerns over VVPAT matching, but said they were not allotted any time.

What is inviting criticism from people on the social media and political leaders is the EC’s claim that giving the final votes polled figures in Form17C would “lead to confusion" among voters, as it will also include postal ballots. It has also expressed misgivings about "mischief".

Surely, giving out such is data is not something new, and the least the EC could do is trust people, the media and all political players, who are in the fray with some sense of responsibility.