Claiming that “16 lakh” more voters than the total adult population were enrolled in Maharashtra, Congress on Wednesday continued to question the electoral roll for the recently held state Assembly elections.
AICC Data Analytics Department Chairperson Praveen Chakravarty said that during a press conference on Tuesday, the Chief Election Commissioner had “outlined the process of voter addition in details and claimed that the process is equipped to prevent fake voter additions.”
Citing the report by the National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Chakravarty said that “Maharashtra’s estimated adult (18+) population in 2024 can be calculated as 9.54 crore, based on the five-year projections.”
“As per the Election Commission, the total enrolled electors in Maharashtra for the Vidhan Sabha election were 9.70 crores. That is, the Election Commission seems to have enrolled 16 lakh more electors than the entire adult population in Maharashtra, as estimated by the Narendra Modi government,” said Chakravarty.
“Even if estimates vary, is it possible that the EC has registered 100% or more than all the eligible voters in a state? Our analysis of other states shows that on average, only 90% of the eligible population is enrolled as electors by EC. How is it that for Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha alone, the EC enrolled 100% or more? Further, Aadhaar enrolment data in Maharashtra also reinforces the fact that the EC’s total voter enrolment in Maharashtra may be higher than the total adult population,” he added.
Chakravarty said that while “all the other questions that we raised in our earlier letter dated December 10, 2024, about mysterious addition of new voters remain unanswered, just this one simple datapoint that the EC may have registered more electors than adult population quashes the CEC’s claim that the process of voter addition and deletion is very robust and unquestionable.”
“It is in the interest of the nation’s democracy and strengthening voters trust that the EC, rather than grandstanding and hiding behind flowery poetry, should acknowledge the uncomfortable truth and take remedial steps as a dutiful public servant,” he said.
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