New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday asserted that there were no arbitrary additions or deletions of voters in Maharashtra where assembly polls were held recently. In its response to the Congress, the poll authority also said it would not be correct to compare 5.00 pm voter turnout data with final polling data.

In its response, sent to Omar Hooda of All India Congress Committee’s law, human rights and RTI department, commission secretary SK Das said, “It was misleading and factually incorrect for the Congress to charge in its meeting with the EC on November 29 that there were more than 50,000 additions of voters in 50 assembly constituencies, of which the ruling regime and allies won 47.”

The EC said the 'factual position' pertaining to enrolment of electors between the Lok Sabha election 2024 and Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 was that there were only six assembly constituencies with over 50,000 electors. “Thus, the question of the ruling regime and its allies winning 47 seats out of these 50 seats on this basis does not arise,” it reasoned.

Stating that such baseless accusations coming from a national party creates unnecessary and avoidable doubts and anxiety in the mind of the public, the EC clarified that overall in Maharashtra there is addition of 48,81,620 electors and deletion of 8,00,391 resulting in a net addition of 40,81,229 electors in the electoral roll” between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

The EC said the new additions also include 8,72,094 electors between the 18-19 age group and 17,74,514 between the 20-29 age group. On the issue of a marked increase in voter turnout after 5.00pm, the EC said, “Considering 5.00pm data as the final voter turnout or as its closest approximation is merely a misconception.”

Questioning how the Congress fell for such “uninformed, baseless and malicious reports”, the Commission had stated, “The report is aimed at misleading voters by constructing a false narrative and exaggerating imaginary discrepancy with final voter turnout data, which gets finalised after all polling parties have returned, and repolls done.”