MUMBAI, Dec 2: Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai on Monday claimed the trends in postal ballots and EVM results of the Maharashtra assembly polls appear inconsistent, raising doubts about the integrity of the EVM system.
Sardesai, who defeated NCP’s Zeeshan Siddique to win the Vandre East assembly seat in the debut contest, also claimed a suspicious spike in voter turnout during the final two hours of polling and demanded a reply from the Election Commission.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Sardesai claimed statistical anomalies were observed in the Election Commission’s official data, and called for greater transparency and accountability.
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“While I am not making direct allegations, the data raises several doubts that must be addressed,” he said.
He said that postal ballots, which largely represent soldiers, senior citizens, essential service workers, and government employees, “generally align with the overall voter sentiment in their constituencies”.
“Trends in postal ballots were consistent with EVM results in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections (when MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra). However, in the assembly elections, a striking divergence was observed,” Sardesai said.
For example, the Maha Vikas Aghadi was leading in 31 constituencies through postal ballots, while the BJP-led Mahayuti was ahead in 16 constituencies. Yet, the final EVM results showed the MVA securing only 46 seats, while the Mahayuti tally surged to 230 seats (in assembly polls), he said.
Sardesai further claimed that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray received 874 postal votes and 62,450 EVM votes in the Worli constituency in Mumbai, while his opponent Milind Deora got 522 postal votes and 54,001 EVM votes.
According to Sardesai, this “pattern” extended beyond the Shiv Sena (UBT).
“Congress leader Nana Patole was ahead by 54 per cent in postal ballots but saw a sharp 12.7 per cent drop in EVM counts,” he said.
Similarly, NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, who had 70 per cent of postal votes, experienced an 18 per cent decline in EVM results, Sardesai said, adding that this trend was never observed in previous elections.
He also mentioned Kolhapur South, Tivsa, and Ghatkopar East constituencies where MVA candidates “leading in postal ballots saw significant drops in EVM counts.”
“How is it possible that in almost every case, MVA candidates experienced a 5 to 15 per cent decline in votes from postal to EVM results, while Mahayuti candidates saw an equivalent rise? This raises serious doubts about the integrity of the EVM system,” he said.
Sardesai appealed to the Election Commission to “address these issues”, stating that its “primary responsibility is to ensure free and fair elections.”
“Why were the trends seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections so dramatically different in the Assembly elections? Any doubts in the electoral process must be resolved to maintain public confidence,” he added. (PTI)
