Defeated MVA candidates filed petitions challenging Maha poll results: Prithviraj Chavan
Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Saturday that about 100 defeated candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP have approached the against the Assembly election outcome and filed individual petitions challenging the poll results in their respective constituencies.
“Although the Election Commission should be congratulated on National Voter’s Day, the people of Maharashtra are unwilling to extend any goodwill. The discrepancies in the voter rolls for the Assembly elections are a major issue. The Congress is fighting against the Election Commission’s partiality. As many as 100 defeated MVA candidates have filed petitions in various courts across the state,” said the former Chief Minister during a press conference along with National President of Professional Congress Praveen Chakravarty and MP Kumar Ketkar.
He further added that the country’s democracy is well-established and attracts global attention. “However, if the Election Commission exhibits bias during elections, it poses a significant threat to our democratic system,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Praveen Chakravarty, said that in a democracy, the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections lies with the autonomous Election Commission.
“However, the Commission has failed to uphold this standard during the Maharashtra Assembly elections. A significant discrepancy in the electoral rolls benefitted the BJP alliance. Within just six months after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the voter count increased by 48 lakh for the Assembly elections. Notably, between the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections—five years—the voter count increased by 32 lakh. So, how could the voter count increase by 48 lakh in just six months?” he asked.
He added that the Election Commission must provide evidence to explain this anomaly.
He further pointed out that the Election Commission claims Maharashtra has 9.7 crore voters for the Assembly elections, however, according to the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra’s adult population above 18 years is 9.54 crore.
“This raises the question of how there is a discrepancy of 16 lakh voters. The electoral rolls show several irregularities. For instance, in the Shirdi constituency’s Loni village, 5,000 voters were registered at a single address,” he said.
He said that when Congress candidate Prabhavati Ghogare from the Shirdi constituency asked these voters for identity and residence proof, it was revealed that they were not local residents.
“A complaint was lodged with the Election Commission, but no response was received,” said Chakravarty.
He said that after the Lok Sabha elections, 20,000 to 25,000 new voters were added to each of the 132 Assembly constituencies.
“In 62 of these constituencies, the BJP-led alliance was leading during the Lok Sabha elections. However, in the Assembly elections, the alliance won 112 of these 132 constituencies. This unexplained and suspicious increase in the voter count has raised doubts,” he said.
He added that the Congress has demanded that the Election Commission release all relevant data publicly.
Chakravarty further criticised the Commission, saying that while January 25 is celebrated as National Voter’s Day, the Election Commission has turned it into a “Cheater Day.”
Meanwhile, the Congress party on Saturday held statewide protests to safeguard democracy and organised press conferences to mark National Voter’s Day.
–IANS
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