On January 26, Praveen Chakravarthy, Chairman of Data Analytics at the All-India Professional Congress (AIPC), held a press conference to address concerns over “Election Fraud: manipulation of Maharashtra’s voter list?” He raised serious accusations against the Election Commission of India (ECI) while emphasizing issues surrounding the addition of new voters in Maharashtra for the 2024 Assembly elections.
Additionally, Chakravarthy questioned the legitimacy of the newly formed Mahayuti Government, suggesting it was not the product of a fair electoral process. He said that the people of Maharashtra have been cheated and their election has been stolen. The government that is in Maharashtra is not a legitimately elected government through a fair electoral process.
“I must say, we say this with all and full responsibility as India’s oldest political party and as the only political party that fought for India’s freedom and help establish India as a Constitutional republic so we say this with full responsibility and not loosely” he added
The current government of Maharashtra is not one that was legitimately elected through a fair electoral process.
Here is why https://t.co/7FH42kPF92 pic.twitter.com/LC8iBcBSFX
— Praveen Chakravarty (@pravchak) January 27, 2025
Significant manipulation of the voter list in Maharashtra Assembly Elections – 2024
In his address, Chakravarthy accused the Election Commission of significant manipulation of the voter list during the Maharashtra Assembly Elections of 2024. He promised to present data and evidence to back his claims, suggesting a pattern of suspicious voter additions. He said, “I will present data and evidence for this.”
Suspicious surge in new voters for Mahayuti
Chakravarthy questioned the legitimacy of the addition of a large number of voters in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha election, specifically pointing out that these new voters overwhelmingly supported the Mahayuti alliance. He noted that this surge helped the Mahayuti alliance win a substantial majority in the Assembly elections, even after suffering a loss in the Lok Sabha elections just six months earlier.
He further elaborated on the apparent anomaly: He further elaborated on the apparent anomaly: “48 lakh new voters were added for the Vidhan Sabha election, but somehow, all these 48 lakh new voters voted for the Mahayuti alliance. How is that possible?” Chakravarthy pointed out that between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, Mahayuti gained 72 lakh additional votes compared to the Lok Sabha results.
However, he argued that only 24 lakhs of those votes could logically have shifted from the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, leaving a remaining 48 lakh votes unaccounted for. He called this “magic” and asked if this was the result of “executive interference” or “government interference in the Election Commission,” adding, “Is this not strange?”
He said that, “48 Lakh new voters were added for the Vidhan Sabha election but somehow magically all these 48 lakh new voters are voted Mahayuti alliance how is that possible and how I am saying it? Between the Lok Sabha election and the Vidhan Sabha election the Mahayuti alliance got 72 lakhs more votes that is compared to the Lok Sabha election. Now where did they get these more votes? extra votes from people who votes for the Mahavikas Aghadi in the Lok Sabha may have shifted to Mahayuti alliance for the Vidhan Sabha election or whatever the reasons may be.
Chakravarty further said,“That is the logic you would have think people who wanted for Mahavikas aghadi in the Lok Sabha well should have shifted to Mahayuti and so Mahayuti alliance got 72 lakh more voters, correct ? No, only 24 lakh voters that voted for Mahavikas aghadi in Lok Sabha shifted away. Only 24 Lakh. But, Mahayuti alliance got 72 lakhs more votes. All of them did not come from shifting votes from Mahavikas aghadi. So, 72-24 is 48. Magic! 48 lakh news voters have voted for Mahayuti alliance in Vidhan Sabha”
“According to the ECI, 48 lakh new voters were added in the Vidhan Sabha election. Is this some miraculous coincidence, is this some divine intervention if you are a believer or is it as what Dr. Ambedkar would call “executive interference” government interference in an election commission. How does this explain? Is this not strange” he said
Unprecedented voter additions in six months
Chakravarthy presented further evidence, questioning how the Election Commission could account for the addition of 48 lakh new voters within just six months. He pointed out that in the five years leading up to the 2024 elections (from 2019 to 2024), only 32 lakh new voters had been added to the rolls. This stark contrast in voter addition rates raised red flags about the legitimacy of the process. “How is it in six months 48 lakh voters were added, but in the previous five years only 32 lakh voters were added?” Chakravarthy asked.
He said, “As per Election Commission of India’s own data there were 48 lakh new voters that is nearly 50 lakh new voters, were added in the electoral roll for the Vidhan Sabha election after the Lok Sabha election, so that is in just six months 48 lakh new voters were added. In five years between 2019 and 2024 in the five years before only 32 lakh voters were added. How is it in six months 48 lakh voters are added but in previous five years in the same state in Maharashtra, only 32 lakh voters were added. Does this sound logical?”
Discrepancy between voter count and adult population
Another key issue Chakravarthy raised was the discrepancy between the reported number of voters in Maharashtra and the actual adult population. According to the ECI, there were 9.7 crore total voters for the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha election. However, the total adult population of Maharashtra in 2024 was only 9.54 crore, as per the Ministry of Health. Chakravarthy questioned, “Have you ever heard of an Election Commission having more voters than the adult population of a state? Shouldn’t this be raised as a major issue?”
Chakravarthy refuted the ECI’s claim and said “The ECI said there were said there were 9.7 Crores total voters for the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha election. But guess what! The total adult population of Maharashtra which is 18 years and about only 9.52 Crores (9.54 crores rather) and I am not saying this. Who is saying that the total adult population of Maharashtra is only 9.54 Crores in 2024? It is the Narendra Modi government’s Ministry of health. Congress Party is not saying this. Have you ever heard of an Election Commission that has more voters than the adult population of state? Should we not raise this as a big issue?”
Who are the new voters? – Congress, question over voters’ legitimacy
Chakravarthy continued his questioning, asking who the new voters were and whether they were legitimate. He inquired, “Are they real people or fake, ghosts, or duplicates? Were they brought in from other states? Were their documents checked, including Aadhaar cards or proof of identity and residence? Are they residents of Maharashtra?” These questions, he stressed, were essential for ensuring the fairness of the election process.
Chakravarthy while questioning the legitimacy of new voters added in Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha election, asked that, “who are the new voters? are they real people or fake or ghosts or duplicates or brought in from other states who are these voters whether documents checked with their Aadhaar card checked or any other proof of identity and residents? Are they residents of Maharashtra? these are all very logical questions. Thus, these are the questions that we are asking.”
In Loni village of Shirdi constituency, 5 to 7000 voters were added from just one building
Chakravarthy provided an example of suspected voter fraud in Loni village of the Shirdi Assembly Constituency. He claimed that nearly 5,000 to 7,000 voters were added from just one building. According to Congress candidate Prabhawati Gogre, when she investigated, the new voters admitted that they were not residents of the village, and they did not possess Aadhaar cards. When asked how they registered to vote, they allegedly said they were brought in by BJP candidate VK Patil’s team. Despite Gogre’s complaint to the Election Commission, Chakravarthy claimed, “There was absolute silence, no action.”
He said, “nearly 5 to 7,000 voters were added from just one building. When the Congress candidate Prabhawati Gogre found out, she went to the Election Commission and questioned it. She went and asked the voters “Are you resident of this village?”, “Do you have Aadhar card?”, all of them said “NO.”
“She asked them ‘How did you register to be voters?’ they said, they were brought in by the BJP candidate VK Patil. His team no him directly. When Prabhawati Gogre complaint to the Election Commission, there was absolute silence, no action. This is just one example of 5 to 7,000 votes in Shirdi. This is how 48 lakh votes may have been added. There is very clear pattern here. There are 132 constituencies in which twenty-five thousand or more voters were added just for the Vidhansabha election after the Lok Sabha Election. Mahayuti wins 112, nearly 90% of all these constituencies. In the same constituencies of 132, the Mahayuti won only 62 in the Lom Sabha Election held six months back. So, within 62, 25,000 or more voters were added in these constituencies and now they win 112. They (Mahayuti) almost double their seats” he added.
He further added that this is all publicly available data.
Congress’s questions before the Election Commission of India
In light of these allegations, Chakravarthy called on the Election Commission of India to address several critical questions:
- Why does the Election Commission not make the voter roll data for both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections publicly available in a consolidated, accessible format for analysis?
- How does the ECI explain the extraordinary increase in the number of new voters within a short span of time?
- The ECI must provide documentation and proof regarding the legitimacy of these new voters, including verification of their identity and residence.
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