Amit Shah Calls It a Clear Victory, Opposition Demands Re-Election
Mumbai
The Bombay High Court has raised concerns over unusually high voting after 6 PM in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 and has sent a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer.
The petition, filed by Vikhroli resident Chetan Ahire and represented by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar, asks the court to review the election process and check if voting rules were followed properly. The petition claims that the lack of transparency in recording late votes raises serious questions about the fairness of the election.
What Are the Election Rules on Late-Night Voting?
According to the Election Commission’s rules, voting should end at 6 PM. However:
✔ Voters who are already inside the polling station or in line at 6 PM are allowed to vote.
✔ Polling officials must issue tokens to count those waiting at closing time.
✔ No new voters should be allowed after 6 PM.
✔ The Election Commission should keep and publish records of all late votes.
However, the petition says that the ECI has not shared any record of these late votes, making it impossible to check if everything was done fairly.
Over 75 Lakh Votes Cast After 6 PM—Where Is the Data?
The petition claims that over 75 lakh votes were cast after polling officially ended at 6 PM on November 20, 2024. However, despite multiple requests, the Election Commission has not revealed how many tokens were issued or how many votes were counted late, leading to concerns about possible vote manipulation.
The bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Kamal Khata agreed that this issue needed a response and has asked the poll officials to explain.
Mismatched Vote Counts Raise More Questions
The petition also claims that in 19 voting areas, the EVMs recorded more votes than were officially polled, while in 76 areas, fewer votes were counted than expected.
Since the Election Commission has not provided any data about the tokens given out after 6 PM, the petitioners argue that this raises doubts about the accuracy and fairness of the election process.
Amit Shah Calls It a ‘Victory of Performance’; Opposition Cries Foul
While the court reviews the petition, the political debate over the election results is heating up.
✔ Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called the election results a victory for good governance and performance, saying the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won because of strong leadership and development work. He also said that the people had rejected “fake well-wishers of the Constitution.”
✔ Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, however, demanded a fresh election using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He claimed that EVM malfunctions and suspicious late-night voting made the election process unreliable.
This sharp divide between the ruling party and the opposition has only added to the controversy surrounding the election results.
What Does the Petition Demand?
The petition is asking for:
✔ A clear record of the number of voters in line at 6 PM, as per Election Commission rules.
✔ A detailed report of the total number of votes cast between 5 PM – 6 PM and after 6 PM.
✔ A list of polling stations that issued tokens after 6 PM and the total number of such tokens.
✔ A full and independent audit of EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) used in the election.
Ambedkar told the court that an RTI request was filed to get this information, but the Election Commission responded that no such data was available. The petition argues that this lack of transparency is a violation of election laws, which require complete records of all votes.
What Happens Next?
The Bombay High Court has scheduled the next hearing in two weeks. As the legal and political battle over the election results continues, the big question remains—
✔ Did the Election Commission follow its own rules?
✔ Why is there no clear data on votes cast after 6 PM?
✔ Will the court demand a fresh audit or even a re-election?
For now, the Election Commission has to respond, and the people of Maharashtra are watching closely.
