The Bombay High Court has issued notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the state’s Chief Electoral Officer amid growing concerns over alleged discrepancies during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. These allegations have been brought to light by city resident Chetan Chandrakant Ahire, who claims significant irregularities occurred during the polling process held on November 20, 2024.
Ahire’s writ petition raises serious questions about the integrity of the voting process, as he stated over 75 lakh votes were cast after the official polling hours, which conclude at 6 PM. He argues this resulted in discrepancies being noted across more than 90 constituencies. According to the petitioner, the number of votes counted did not align with the actual votes polled, bringing transparency and procedural compliance under scrutiny.
According to the plea, advocate Prakash Ambedkar, representing Ahire, has articulated concerns around the Returning Officers’ (ROs) failure to adhere to the Election Commission’s guidelines. The petition emphasizes the lack of a verifiable system to record votes, posing potential threats to election security and reliability.
On the legal front, the petition requests the court to mandate the ECI to disclose information related to the number of tokens distributed to voters post-6 PM across polling stations. The initial hearing has suggested waiting for responses from the ECI and other authorities, with follow-up scheduled for two weeks hence.
Further complicity arose when the opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, raised issues surrounding the alleged manipulation of the voter lists during the same election. Gandhi claimed during recent proceedings at the Lok Sabha concerning the integrity of the polls, announcing, "About 70 lakh voters, equivalent to the entire population of Himachal Pradesh, were added to the electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha and State elections. This raised concerns about the authenticity of these new additions, especially since they seemed to favor the ruling BJP-led coalition."
Digging deeply, the Congress party questioned the legitimacy of this sudden influx of voters, citing the need for clarity from the ECI on additions and deletions made within the electoral rolls. The opposition has persistently sought to probe the discrepancies observed, where over 45 lakh new voters claimed to have registered compared to previous election cycles, questioning the rationale behind this steep increase.
The Election Commission, responding to these claims, has provided some data but refuted specific allegations concerning the integrity of the addition of voters. The ECI contended, through information shared in December 2024, the accurate figure of voters registered between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections was 48.8 lakh, not the 70 lakh noted by opposition leaders. They have pointed to verification records showing continuous updates to the rolls by including new voters, mostly from younger demographics.
To bolster the transparency of the process, the ECI has insisted they fulfilled all legal obligations by providing voter details, highlighting the limitations imposed by electoral laws to maintain voter confidentiality—an aspect the Congress argues makes it more difficult to validate claims of voter integrity.
More recently, Ahire’s petition underscored the failure of electoral practices, elevatively stating, "There is no transparency, and many returning officers haven’t complied with the operational guidelines laid out for maintaining turnout records accurately." The petition has been framed not merely as accusations, but as required judicial scrutiny necessary to uphold electoral integrity.
The ramifications of these allegations stretch beyond just legal proceedings. Gandhi has accused governmental changes impacting the commission's structure, highlighting the shift with the removal of the Chief Justice from the committee overseeing the appointment of the Election Commissioner as politically motivated. He conjectures this was done to maintain favor over electoral outcomes, stating, "This systematic erosion of checks has created immense worry around election fairness. Our Constitution must safeguard every citizen’s vote, and these changes signal otherwise."
Despite the ECI's rebuttals and reassurances concerning their oversight processes, trust appears eroded—with calls for greater scrutiny and call for reverting to traditional voting methods such as ballot boxes gaining traction among dissenters. The calls echo a larger sentiment shared nationally about concerns around electronic voting machines (EVM), perceived vulnerability hindering public confidence within the electoral framework. Advocates for change argue for reestablishing procedures perceived as more transparent and accountable.
The discourse around the Maharashtra elections has opened up broader discussions about democratic integrity, the role of technology in voting, and how electoral fairness can be ensured moving forward. Legal eagle eyes will continue to observe not only the outcome of Ahire's petition but the response of the ECI and its potential broader effects on the electoral processes throughout India.
With the upcoming hearings set to bring back attention to these alleged discrepancies, all eyes are squarely on the judiciary and the ECI as both have the opportunity to strengthen the mechanisms of electoral trust or miss the chance to restore public confidence.