Prakash Ambedkar Questions ECI's Silence on 75-Lakh Vote Surge Post-Poll in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Dec 13 (NationPress) The President of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), Prakash Ambedkar, has asserted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been noncommittal in addressing the party's inquiries about how 75 lakhs votes surged after the official polling hours during the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Ambedkar noted that the VBA had formally contacted the ECI’s State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) requesting clarification on this matter, in addition to individual letters dispatched by many of the 225 party candidates who were defeated in the elections.

As of now, neither the ECI nor the CEO has provided satisfactory responses to these inquiries; only three Returning Officers (RO) have given vague replies to the relevant candidates from VBA.

“The fundamental question remains unanswered by the ECI regarding the increase of 75 lakhs votes after voting concluded at 6 pm that day, as per the official data provided by the ECI itself,” Ambedkar emphasized.

He referred to his letter dated December 6 to the State CEO S. Chockalingam, which posed specific questions and requested details regarding the polling data. Despite this, the ECI issued a statement on December 10 claiming that there was no inconsistency in the counting of VVPAT voter slips.

“On November 20th, the ECI reported that 75 lakhs votes were cast post 6 pm when voting had officially ended. The ECI is obligated to disclose the voting statistics for each of the 288 Assembly constituencies,” Ambedkar stated.

Moreover, he urged the ECI to clarify how many voters were issued tokens after 6 pm, along with video footage and photographic documentation to ensure the process's transparency.

The VBA’s Chief Spokesperson, Siddharth Mokle, indicated that according to ECI statistics, an average of 26,000 individuals voted after 6 pm on November 20, a claim difficult to accept unless detailed booth-wise figures and video evidence are provided.

To date, the ROs from Aurangabad West, Paranda, and Nanded South Assembly constituencies have responded to VBA candidates’ queries, with approximately 245 remaining unanswered, he added.

The uniform replies from the ROs indicated that the requested information was secured in the polling envelope and placed in a security strongroom, which prohibits disclosure, according to Ambedkar.

Ambedkar stated that regulations dictate that at 5.59 pm, the election process must cease, and polling center doors should close. However, tokens are issued to those inside polling booths while individuals outside miss their opportunity to vote; thus, these facts are crucial to understanding the situation.

He asserted that the VBA is willing to share the ROs’ responses with all Opposition parties, emphasizing that if elections continue in this manner, it undermines the integrity of democracy.

It is noteworthy that VBA, along with Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and others, have initiated campaigns against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The anti-EVM movement gained traction following an incident in Markadwadi village in Solapur, which drew national attention when an attempt to conduct a paper ballot poll on December 3 was thwarted by law enforcement and local administration.