Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on May 7 urged INDIA bloc parties to collectively, unitedly and unequivocally raise their voices against the alleged voting data 'discrepancies' in the first two phases to protect the culture of a vibrant democracy and the Constitution.
Kharge’s letter comes days after the Opposition parties questioned the final voter turnout of the first two phases of Lok Sabha elections released by the Election Commission of India on April 30. The data was released 11 days after the first phase polling on April 19, and four days after the second phase on April 26.
“The inordinate delay in the release of the final voting percentages for the first and second phases raises serious doubts on the quality of data. In my electoral life of 52 years, I have never witnessed such a high increment of voting percentages, in the final published data, that we now assume came from the later hours of voting on the polling days,” Kharge said in the letter.
Kharge’s letter comes on a day when 93 seats across 11 states and a Union Territory are voting in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
According to the poll panel’s data, the voter turnout for the first phase of polling was 66.14 per cent, marking a drop of about 4 percentage points compared to the first phase in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Similarly, the turnout for the second phase was 66.71 per cent, reflecting a drop of about 3 percentage points compared to the 2019 elections.
“We ask the Commission - For First Phase, why is there a near increase of ~5.5% in the final voter turnout from date of conclusion of voting (at 7 pm on 19.04.2024) to the delayed release of voter turnout data (On 30.04.2024)? For Second Phase, there is a near increase of more than ~5.74% in the final voter turnout from the date of conclusion of voting (at 7 pm on 26.04.2024) to the delayed release of data (On 30.04.2024)?” the Congress president wondered in the letter.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections: In 2019, BJP & allies had won 75 of 93 seats voting in Phase 3 today.
Kharge also pointed out why the poll panel didn’t release the figures of votes polled in each Parliamentary Constituency and in the respective Assembly constituencies.
“As the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), it should be our collective endeavour to safeguard Democracy and protect the independent functioning of the ECI. All the aforementioned facts force us to ask a question - could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?,” Kharge asked.
The Congress president alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are ‘visibly flustered’ and ‘frustrated’ by the voting trends and their receding electoral fortunes in the first two phases.
“In this context, I would urge all of you that we must collectively, unitedly and unequivocally raise our voice against such discrepancies, for our only objective is to protect the culture of a vibrant democracy and the Constitution. Let us ensure the independence of the Election Commission of India and make it accountable,” the letter reads.
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