Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday expressed concerns over the sharp rise in new voters in Maharashtra, particularly between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.
He highlighted that 39 lakh new voters were added within just five months after the Lok Sabha polls, a significant jump compared to the 32 lakh added over five years between the 2019 Vidhan Sabha and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the Constitution Club in Delhi, alongside Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule, Gandhi questioned discrepancies in voter registration figures, claiming that the total number of registered voters in Maharashtra exceeded the state's adult population.
"We want to bring to the notice of the people of India some information that we have found regarding the Maharashtra elections. We have studied in detail the voter lists, the voting pattern, and we have a team working on this for some time. There are many irregularities that we have found," Gandhi stated.
He raised the question of why more voters were added in the five months following the Lok Sabha elections than in the previous five years combined.
"In five years between Vidhan Sabha 2019 and Lok Sabha 2024 elections, 32 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls in Maharashtra. However, in a period of five months between Lok Sabha 2024 and Vidhan Sabha 2024, 39 lakh new voters were added. The question is: who are these 39 lakh people?"
Gandhi also pointed out a statistical inconsistency, stating that Maharashtra's adult population, as per government records, stood at 9.54 crores, while the Election Commission's data indicated a higher number of registered voters than the total adult population.
"According to the government, the adult population of Maharashtra is 9.54 crores. According to the Election Commission, there are more voters in Maharashtra than people in the state. Somehow, voters were suddenly added in Maharashtra," he remarked.
Further, he noted that the number of votes received by Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SCP remained consistent across both elections. "We got the same amount of votes. Congress vote in Lok Sabha 2024 in a constituency is 1.36 lakh votes and in Vidhan Sabha, we get 1.34 lakh," he said.
However, he pointed out that 35,000 new voters were added in certain constituencies, which helped the BJP secure victory in the Assembly elections.
"BJP in Lok Sabha gets 1.9 lakh votes, and then in Vidhan Sabha, they get 1.75 lakh votes. Most of those voters who provided the BJP their victory come from those 35,000 new voters who have been added. It is the case in multiple constituencies," he asserted.
Gandhi demanded that the Election Commission provide the voter lists for both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.
"We have been saying to the Election Commission that we are finding anomalies. We need the voter list – names and addresses of the voters of Maharashtra. We need the voter list of the Lok Sabha election. We need the voter list of the Vidhan Sabha election. Because we want to understand exactly who these new additional voters are," he said.
He also alleged that several voters had been deleted or transferred to different booths, disproportionately affecting Dalit, tribal, and minority communities.
"There are many, many, many voters that have been deleted. Voters who are in one booth have been transferred to another booth. Most of these voters come from Dalit communities, tribal communities, and minority communities... We have made repeated requests to the Election Commission. They have not answered us. The Leader of the Opposition has said this in Parliament House. The Election Commission has not responded. Now, the only reason they would not respond is that there is something wrong with what they have done. I am not making any accusations. I am presenting data here clearly," he added.
Election Commission responds
Following these allegations, the Election Commission stated that it will provide a detailed response in writing with full facts
Shortly after Gandhi made the allegations during a press conference, the poll body issued a post on X, emphasizing its commitment to engaging with political parties.
"ECI considers political parties as priority stakeholders, with voters being the prime focus, and deeply values views, suggestions, and questions from political parties," the Commission stated. It further assured, "The Commission will respond in writing with a full factual and procedural matrix uniformly adopted across the country."
The statement, however, did not directly mention Gandhi or specifically address his claims.
