Nagpur: In light of discrepancies in voter turnout and allegations of electoral malpractice, Congress candidate Girish Pandav from the South Nagpur Assembly constituency has intensified his demand for transparency in the voting process. Pandav, who lost to BJP’s Mohan Mate in the recent polls, has submitted Rs 3 lakh to the District Collector, seeking an audit of the EVM and VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) units.
The Opposition parties, including the Mahavikas Aghadi, have raised concerns over a significant spike in voter turnout between 5:00 pm and 11:30 pm on election day. Reports from multiple constituencies revealed anomalies such as mismatched vote counts, identical vote tallies for candidates, and instances where EVMs registered more votes than the recorded turnout.
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Tuesday 04 Feb. 2025
Pandav has alleged that 28,000 names were added to the voter list in South Nagpur just days before the final list was published, accusing the BJP of leveraging these additional voters to secure victory. He further claimed that this strategy was not confined to South Nagpur but was implemented across the state, with alleged administrative support.
To ensure the accuracy of the election results, Pandav has demanded memory verification of EVM and VVPAT data. The audit process requires a deposit of Rs 40,000 per machine, plus 18% GST, refundable if discrepancies are discovered. This move comes within the seven-day window provided by the Election Commission for filing complaints post-vote count. The EVM data will remain stored for 45 days, allowing candidates to challenge the results in court if necessary.
Out of 12 constituencies in Nagpur district, Congress managed to secure victory in only three. In response to the alleged irregularities, Congress organized a bike rally on Sunday, led by former Minister Sunil Kedar, protesting against EVMs. However, Kedar did not submit a formal request for EVM verification.
Pandav has already filed an application for a recount of votes from 5% of the EVMs in South Nagpur. He also claimed that Congress workers’ requests to add new voters to the list before its finalization were rejected by the administration, while BJP’s applications were accepted in large numbers. Pandav hinted at pursuing judicial intervention to address these grievances and uphold electoral integrity.
The allegations and subsequent demands for an audit have added fuel to the ongoing debate about the credibility of EVMs and the transparency of the electoral process in Maharashtra.
