Congress demands EC's response on voter turnout discrepancies

New Delhi: The main opposition in Parliament Congress raised its doubt again about the major gap in the count of voter turnouts and statistics immediately after polling hours in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The party demanded that the Election Commission of India (EC) respond to the findings of the civil society group Vote for Democracy.

All India Congress Committee secretary Sandeep Dikshit said that the initial figures given on polling day and the final turnout figures differ a lot, which is to the extent of 4 per cent to 6 per cent in some of the phases. He pointed out that 10 per cent of votes were cast after 7 pm.

The analysis report by Vote for Democracy released in July stated that there was a total surge in the absolute number of votes cumulatively for all phases between the voter turnout figures reported at 7 to 8:45 pm.

The gap between extrapolated figures from the Available Figures of the Percentage of Polled Votes is nearly five crore ( 4.72 per cent).

"Since, historically, in previous elections, voting percentage figures have changed by a minute, approximate 1 per cent only, this unexplained hike across all and in some states/ phases is unacceptable," the report stated.

As per the report, the discrepancies have affected approximately 79 seats in the LS polls, benefitting the ND/BJP coalition.

Dikshit pointed to the increase of around 12.5 per cent votes in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and wondered if it was a coincidence that the BJP and its allies did well in these states.

If it is fraud that increased votes for the BJP, then the party won 79 seats by manipulation.

"If you decrease the BJP's seats by 50-55 and increase their opponents' by the same number, then you can understand which party's people would have been sworn in on the fourth (of June)…." The Telegraph quoted Dikshit.