NEW DELHI: The 70-lakh estimate of voters added in Maharashtra between Lok Sabha and assembly polls last year, cited by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Monday, exceeds the actual figure of additions — shared by the Election Commission in its letter to the Congress dated December 24, 2024 — by almost 22 lakh.
As per facts and figures EC cited in its 66-page response to the Congress’s allegations of “inexplicable” rise in voter turnout after polling hours and “arbitrary” additions and deletions in the state’s electoral rolls during Maharashtra assembly elections, 48.8 lakh voters were added in the five months between Lok Sabha and state elections last year, which included 26.4 lakh new and young voters in the 18-29 age group.
Rahul said that more voters were added in Maharashtra in the five months between LS and assembly polls in the state, than in the past five years. However, more than 1.2 crore voters were added since 2019, as against 48.8 lakh between LS and Maharashtra assembly polls last year.
As regards Rahul’s complaint regarding non-availability of the voter lists for Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections of 2024, TOI has learnt that free copies of draft and final electoral rolls of the state were provided to the Congress on at least 12 occasions between 2019 and 2024.
The EC’s December 24 letter to the Congress had also provided the links for accessing the constituency-wise electors data.
EC had shared with Congress names, addresses and polling booths of all voters in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Maharashtra, the exact number of voters, boothwise, in Form 20, including the granular details of votes secured by each candidate polling station-wise. Even Form 17C, which is available with each candidate, has details of boothwise number of voters. However, Section 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1951, does not allow for providing name and address of the voter as it would violate secrecy of ballot and put voters at risk of post-election intimidation. These details are in Form 17A which is in safe custody of the returning officer and not opened for inspection except under order of the competent court.
EC, in its December 2024 letter to Congress, had refuted the party’s claim about an average addition of 50,000 voters in 50 assembly constituencies (ACs), of which Mahayuti won 47, and clarified that only 6 ACs had seen more than 50,000 additions.