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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Major irregularities in 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, claims Vote for Democracy report
Vote for Democracy (VFD), a civic action group led by distinguished experts, has released a constituency-level analysis of Maharashtra's 288 Assembly seats, highlighting serious anomalies in the November 2024 election. The report, titled 'Dysfunctional ECI and Weaponisation of India's Election System', draws on official Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) data as well as accounts from polling staff and voters, raising questions about transparency and accountability. The civic group is guided by election experts M.G. Devasahayam, IAS (retired), Coordinator of Citizens' Commission on Elections; Professor Pyara Lal Garg, former Dean, Panjab University; Madhav Deshpande, specialist in computer software and architecture, and Professor Harish Karnick, former Professor, Computer Science, IIT-Kanpur. Systemic vulnerabilities The report released on Saturday (August 16, 2025) states that the 'weaponisation' of India's electoral system lies in the vulnerabilities of four components of the electronic voting process — microchips that record votes, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), Symbol Loading Units (SLUs), and electoral rolls. According to VFD, the system has ceased to be standalone since 2017 and is now linked to the internet, making it susceptible to manipulation. It further alleges that the ECI's methods of managing voter rolls have created large-scale disenfranchisement, cumulatively posing a serious threat to electoral democracy. VFD notes that in the November 2024 polls, Maharashtra recorded a sudden late-night surge in turnout. At 5 p.m., voter turnout stood at 58.22%, but by midnight it had risen to 66.05%, a jump of 7.83%, which amounted to about 48 lakh extra votes. The sharpest increases were recorded in Nanded, Jalgaon, Hingoli, Solapur, Beed, and Dhule, where double-digit spikes were observed, even though historically such late surges have been minimal. The report also points out that several seats were decided by very narrow margins, with 25 seats won by fewer than 3,000 votes and 69 seats by fewer than 10,000 votes, suggesting that even small anomalies could have changed outcomes. Erratic changes The study highlights erratic changes in the electoral roll between the May 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the November 2024 Assembly polls. In just six months, the rolls expanded by more than 46 lakh voters, concentrated across 12,000 polling booths in 85 constituencies, predominantly in areas where the BJP had lost in the parliamentary elections. Some booths reportedly added more than 600 voters after 5 p.m., which would have implied an additional ten hours of polling that did not occur in reality. Official records also showed discrepancies, with the ECI reporting over 9.64 crore voters on August 30, 2024, while the CEO of Maharashtra reported 9.53 crore for the same date. Within weeks, these numbers fluctuated sharply, with a sudden increase of over 16 lakh voters between October 15 and October 30, 2024. According to the report, the data mismatches between 2019 and 2024 are also significant. In 2019, Maharashtra's voter rolls for the Assembly polls were larger than those for the Lok Sabha polls by about 11.6 lakh voters, while votes polled increased by 8.4 lakh between the two elections. In 2024, however, the discrepancy was far higher, with rolls growing by nearly 40 lakh voters between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and votes polled increasing by more than 71 lakh in the same period. The report notes that voter rolls grew by 71.8 lakh between the 2019 and 2024 Assembly elections, while votes polled jumped by 96.7 lakh, a rise not explained by demographic trends. The report further observes sudden and disproportionate vote surges that benefited specific parties. In the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2024, the BJP averaged about 88,713 votes per Assembly segment, whereas in the Assembly elections in November the average rose to 1,16,064 votes per seat, reflecting a sudden gain of 28,000 votes per seat without corresponding demographic growth. For example, in Kamthi, the Congress vote remained at about 1.35 lakh while the BJP gained 56,000 votes, and in Karad (South) the tally rose by 41,000 votes in just six months, a change not seen in five years. In Nanded, the Congress won the parliamentary seat but lost all six Assembly segments in the same area, receiving 1.59 lakh fewer votes despite simultaneous polling. In high-profile seats VFD also draws attention to high-profile anomalies, such as the addition of 29,219 voters in Nagpur South-West in six months, exceeding the ECI's 4% verification threshold, with local booth officials admitting incomplete checks. In Solapur's Markadwadi village, residents alleged that the EVM results did not reflect the actual votes cast, while police blocked a mock poll using paper ballots. The report mentions several procedural and technical concerns, including the presence of routers near polling stations, sudden power cuts during counting, late arrival of EVMs at strong rooms, failures of CCTV surveillance, mismatches between Form 17C records and control unit counts, unexplained EVM battery readings, and alleged breaches of strong rooms. It questions whether the ECI has independent control over the EVM source code and highlights potential conflicts of interest, noting that BJP members sit on the boards of ECIL and BEL, the manufacturers of EVMs. Amending ECI rules Concerns were also raised about data secrecy and legal changes curtailing scrutiny. In December 2024, the ECI amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules to restrict access to CCTV footage and Form 17C, just days after a court ordered their release in another State's polls. In May 2025, the retention period for CCTV footage was reduced from one year to 45 days, allowing evidence to be destroyed before legal challenges could proceed. Despite 100% webcasting of polling stations, neither video footage nor VVPAT slips are available for public verification. The report further says that over 100 complaints of hate speech were filed during the Maharashtra polls, including against specific leaders, but no visible action was taken by the ECI. VFD concludes that the scale, precision, and constituency-specific targeting of these anomalies point to a structured pattern of electoral manipulation rather than administrative error. It warns that Maharashtra's 2024 Assembly elections serve as a case study of how India's election system can be weaponised, and calls the findings a warning for future polls across the country. Call for decentralisation The organisation has demanded that the voter system be decentralised, with the ECI conducting only parliamentary and presidential elections while State Election Commissions conduct Assembly and local polls. It has also called for a forensic audit of EVMs, VVPATs, and voter rolls, public release of machine-readable rolls and election records, reversal of restrictive amendments to Rule 93, and legislative guarantees for end-to-end vote verifiability.
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Civic polls to be held in phases after Diwali: SEC
Nashik: Civic elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be conducted in phases after Diwali, or by the end of Oct, said state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Tuesday. Additionally, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will not be utilised during the polls, he said. Waghmare made these announcements while in Nashik to assess preparations of various authorities in the region for the upcoming civic elections. During a press conference following a review meeting, Waghmare said conducting polls to all civic bodies — municipal corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, and nagar parishads (municipal councils) — simultaneously is not feasible due to constraints in human resources and other factors. Consequently, elections to the zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, municipal councils and municipal corporations will be held in phases after Diwali this year. However, the sequence of these elections is yet to be determined. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai "The ward delimitation process is already underway as per the programme. The ward delimitation for zilla parishads and panchayat samitis is to be finalised by this month, and the divisional commissioner will conduct the hearing on suggestions and objections of voters about ward delimitation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Turkey: New Senior Apartments (Prices May Surprise You) Senior Apartments | Search Ads Search Now Undo Meanwhile, the ward delimitation process for municipal councils and municipal corporations is to be finalised by Sept 30 and Oct 10 this year respectively," Waghmare said. When asked, Waghmare revealed that OBC reservation for the civic polls will also be decided through a draw of lots. He added that VVPATs will not be employed during the civic polls due to the number of candidates in the four-ward member system and the time required for VVPATs. Additionally, controlling voter queues during voting would be challenging. "Hence we will not be using VVPATs during the civic polls," he said. Waghmare noted the State Election Commission currently possesses approximately 62,000 ballots and control units, and additional units will be needed for the polls. To address this issue, the commission has ordered 50,000 new control units and one lakh ballot units from the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), anticipating receipt by the end of Oct. Further, he said the SEC has signed an agreement with Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to provide 25,000 control units and 75,000 ballot units.
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Maharashtra civic polls to be held in phases after Diwali without VVPAT use: State election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare
Nashik: The civic elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be conducted in phases after Diwali, or by the end of Oct, said state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare on Tuesday. Additionally, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will not be utilised during the polls, he said. Waghmare made these announcements while in Nashik to assess the preparations of various authorities in the region for the upcoming civic elections. During a press conference following a review meeting, Waghmare said conducting polls to all civic bodies — municipal corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, and nagar parishads (municipal councils) — simultaneously is not feasible due to constraints in human resources and other factors. Consequently, elections to the zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, municipal councils, and municipal corporations will be held in phases after Diwali this year. However, the sequence of these elections is yet to be determined. "The ward delimitation process is already underway as per the programme. The ward delimitation for the zilla parishads and panchayat samitis is to be finalised by this month, and the divisional commissioner will conduct the hearing on the suggestions and objections of the voters about the ward delimitation. Meanwhile, the ward delimitation process for municipal councils and municipal corporations is to be finalised by Sept 30 and Oct 10 this year, respectively," Waghmare said. When questioned, Waghmare revealed that OBC reservations for the civic polls will also be decided through a draw of lots. He added that VVPATs will not be employed during the civic polls due to the number of candidates in the four-ward member system and the time required for VVPATs. Additionally, controlling voter queues during voting would be challenging. "Hence, we will not be using VVPATs during the civic polls," he said. Waghmare noted the State Election Commission currently possesses approximately 62,000 ballots and control units, and additional units will be needed for the polls. To address this issue, the commission has ordered 50,000 new control units and 1 lakh ballot units from the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), anticipating receipt by the end of Oct. Furthermore, he mentioned that the State Election Commission has signed an agreement with the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to provide 25,000 control units and 75,000 ballot units. Considering the number of candidates, the commission has decided to allocate 900 voters per polling booth, based on the voter registrations as of July 1. Approval has also been sought from the Election Commission of India to finalise the voter list for the civic polls as of July 1, Waghmare said.
India Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Bypolls of 5 assembly seats in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab and Bengal on June 19
The Election Commission has announced assembly by-polls for five constituencies across four constituencies include Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat; Nilambur in Kerala; Ludhiana West in Punjab; and Kaliganj in West Election Commission also shared the reason behind the by-elections on these seats. advertisement With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in all five voting for all five assembly seats is scheduled for June 19. The counting of votes will be held on June these by-polls, the Commission has decided to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in all polling numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available to ensure a smooth electoral Watch
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
State Election Commission seeks one lakh EVMs for local body polls
1 2 3 Pune: The State Election Commission (SEC) will need nearly 1 lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) to conduct the upcoming local body polls across Maharashtra, a senior election official told TOI on Thursday. With elections due for 29 municipal corporations, 290 nagar parishads, 32 zilla parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis, the SEC currently faces a shortfall of approximately 35,000 machines. "We have about 65,000 ballots and control units with us. We would require about 1 lakh machines for conducting these elections," a senior SEC official said. The SEC has directed urban and rural development departments to initiate the delimitation process, which will determine the exact number of EVMs needed. The state government must soon issue a notification regarding ward formation and the number of panels. "The decision on the number of wards rests with the state government and the notification by the local bodies is expected to give a clear picture," an official said. Following the Supreme Court's recent directive to expedite the election process, SEC officials confirmed they would approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) to source additional machines from within the state. "It would be better to use machines from within the state from the state chief electoral office rather than approach other states, as we are not sure whether machines from elsewhere would be suitable for local polls," the official said. More than 1 lakh machines were used during the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Unlike Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, local body polls don't require VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails), simplifying the logistical requirements. The Supreme Court bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh has ordered the SEC to notify elections within four weeks and complete the process within four months. The court also directed that OBC reservation must continue as it existed before the Banthia Commission report, which had recommended 27% OBC quota in local body polls. Maharashtra's local body elections have been stalled since 2022 due to legal disputes surrounding OBC reservations . The SC, in its interim order, directed the SEC to notify elections within four weeks and complete the process in four months, unless an extension was sought through the court. Pune: The State Election Commission (SEC) will need nearly 1 lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) to conduct the upcoming local body polls across Maharashtra, a senior election official told TOI on Thursday. With elections due for 29 municipal corporations, 290 nagar parishads, 32 zilla parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis, the SEC currently faces a shortfall of approximately 35,000 machines. "We have about 65,000 ballots and control units with us. We would require about 1 lakh machines for conducting these elections," a senior SEC official said. The SEC has directed urban and rural development departments to initiate the delimitation process, which will determine the exact number of EVMs needed. The state government must soon issue a notification regarding ward formation and the number of panels. "The decision on the number of wards rests with the state government and the notification by the local bodies is expected to give a clear picture," an official said. Following the Supreme Court's recent directive to expedite the election process, SEC officials confirmed they would approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) to source additional machines from within the state. "It would be better to use machines from within the state from the state chief electoral office rather than approach other states, as we are not sure whether machines from elsewhere would be suitable for local polls," the official said. More than 1 lakh machines were used during the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Unlike Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, local body polls don't require VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails), simplifying the logistical requirements. The Supreme Court bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh has ordered the SEC to notify elections within four weeks and complete the process within four months. The court also directed that OBC reservation must continue as it existed before the Banthia Commission report, which had recommended 27% OBC quota in local body polls. Maharashtra's local body elections have been stalled since 2022 due to legal disputes surrounding OBC reservations. The SC, in its interim order, directed the SEC to notify elections within four weeks and complete the process in four months, unless an extension was sought through the court.
