NEW DELHI, Nov 30: The Election Commission reiterated on Saturday that all electoral processes conducted in Maharashtra were executed with transparency and pledged to evaluate all valid concerns raised by the Congress party, which pointed out significant discrepancies.
In its preliminary reply to the Congress, the election authority proposed a meeting on December 3 to address the concerns brought forth by the party.
The Congress highlighted “serious and grave inconsistencies” disclosed in the data associated with polling and counting for the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections and requested an in-person meeting to present pertinent evidence.
In its response, the EC emphasized that the procedures were open, with participation from candidates or their representatives at every level.
The Commission also committed to reviewing the Congress’ valid concerns and will provide a written reply post the meeting with the party delegates.
It stated that a transparent process for updating the electoral rolls was carried out with the involvement of all political parties.
Regarding the voter turnout data, the EC asserted that there were no discrepancies and that the data was accessible to all candidates on a polling station basis and can be verified.
The difference noted between the 5 pm polling data and the final voter turnout was attributed to procedural priorities, as presiding officers are required to complete multiple statutory tasks close to the polling deadline before they can update the voter turnout figures.
As an additional disclosure measure, a press note from the EC was introduced at around 11:45 pm during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and was subsequently adopted for all assembly polls thereafter, as relayed to the Congress. (Agencies)
