Congress Raises Concerns Over Legitimacy of Maharashtra Government and Voter Additions Ahead of 2024 Elections

The Congress party has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the BJP-led Mahayuti government's election in Maharashtra. They allege that there was a suspicious increase in voters before the November 2024 assembly elections. Praveen Chakravarty, head of Congress's data analytics department, and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan voiced these concerns at a press conference.

Chakravarty stated, "The government in Maharashtra is not legitimately elected through a fair electoral process. We say this with full responsibility as India's oldest political party and the only political party that fought for India's freedom and helped establish India as a constitutional republic." He claimed that there was significant manipulation in the assembly election results.

Suspicious Voter Increase

Chakravarty highlighted that 48 lakh new voters were added to the electoral rolls after the Lok Sabha polls, compared to only 32 lakh before the 2019 assembly elections. He questioned how these new voters predominantly supported the Mahayuti alliance, asking if it was merely a coincidence or something more suspicious.

He further alleged that Mahayuti gained 72 lakh more votes in the assembly elections compared to the Lok Sabha elections, while only 24 lakh voters shifted away from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). In contrast, MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Electoral Discrepancies

Chakravarty pointed out that Mahayuti secured 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, with BJP winning 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, and NCP 41. He noted a pattern where 25,000 or more voters were added in 132 constituencies just before state polls, with Mahayuti winning nearly 90% of these seats.

He also mentioned discrepancies between adult population figures and voter numbers. According to central government data, Maharashtra's adult population is 9.54 crore, but voter numbers are at 9.7 crore. Chakravarty criticised the Election Commission for failing in its duty to ensure fair elections.

Calls for Investigation

Chakravarty demanded answers from the Election Commission regarding these irregularities. He questioned why voter lists for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections aren't publicly available in a consolidated form for analysis. He urged the Election Commission to explain the suspicious voter increase and provide documentation for new voters.

Prithviraj Chavan added that over 100 defeated MVA candidates have filed petitions with the Election Commission of India. He argued that proper house-to-house verification was not conducted during voter enrolment and attributed Mahayuti's victory to these new voters.

Demand for Transparency

Chavan also called for a white paper on Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed at Davos. The state government reported signing 61 MoUs during the World Economic Forum, involving investments worth Rs 15.70 lakh crore. Chavan stressed the need for transparency regarding these agreements.

The Congress party remains firm on its stance against accepting Maharashtra's election results without further investigation into these allegations. They continue to demand accountability from both the Election Commissioner and Election Commission of India.