How did 76 lakh extra votes get cast in Maharashtra after 5 pm? Know the whole controversy

Maharashtra Politics: After the Maharashtra assembly elections, a controversy has arisen over the voting process. CPIM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has written a letter to the Election Commission (ECI) pointing out the irregularities in the voting percentage. Earlier, the Congress had also approached the Election Commission raising this issue.

Voting percentage increased after evening: Process under question

Brittas mentioned in his letter that till 5 pm, 58.22% voting was recorded in Maharashtra, but by 11:30 pm this figure increased to 65.02%. He said that after this it reached 66.05% a few hours before the counting of votes started. This is a total increase of 7.83%, which is equivalent to about 76 lakh additional votes.

Brittas compared this unusual increase with the elections in Jharkhand, where there was a slight increase in the voting percentage. He said that such an increase has been recorded only in those places where the NDA won. He has sought immediate clarification from the ECI on the issue.

EVM tampering claims and the commission's stand

Amidst this controversy, a person named Syed Shuja claimed that EVMs were hacked by tampering with their frequency in the Maharashtra elections. The Election Commission rejected these claims outright and called it false and baseless. The Commission clarified that EVMs cannot be connected to any network (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), which makes it unlikely to be tampered with.

The Chief Election Officer lodged a complaint against Syed Shuja and said that these claims are being made only to spread rumors.

Historic victory of Mahayuti: Big blow to the opposition

Amidst these controversies, the BJP-led Mahayuti in Maharashtra registered a historic victory by winning 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP won 132 seats, while Shinde faction's Shiv Sena got 57 and Ajit Pawar's NCP got 41 seats. On the other hand, the performance of the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was disappointing. Congress got only 16 seats, NCP 10, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena got 20 seats.

What does the Election Commission say?

The Election Commission, while reacting to the controversy, said that all the processes adopted in Maharashtra were transparent. However, the questions raised by John Brittas and the Congress are now demanding a comprehensive investigation.

Need for transparency on voting process

The questions raised about the voting percentage and the authenticity of EVMs in the Maharashtra elections can be an opportunity to strengthen the foundations of democracy. It is important to ensure that the electoral processes remain completely transparent and fair so that the public's confidence can be maintained.

It will be interesting to see what turn the situation takes next. Will the Election Commission conduct a detailed investigation into these allegations, or will this matter remain only a political allegation and counter-allegation?