Amid allegations from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regarding discrepancies in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Election Commission on Tuesday clarified that no mismatch was detected between the votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the corresponding tally of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips during random verification.

In a statement, the State Election Commission reaffirmed adherence to the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, which mandate the counting of VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations in each Assembly constituency or Assembly segment. The verification process was conducted on November 23, with VVPAT slip counts from the selected polling stations confirming the accuracy of the EVM results.

The Commission reaffirmed the transparency and reliability of the verification process, stating that the outcome upheld the integrity of the electoral process and dismissed concerns raised by the opposition.

“As per that, slip count of 1,440 VVPAT units from 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra State has been tallied with respective control unit data. There is no discrepancy found between VVPAT slip count and EVM control unit count as per the reports received from the concerned DEOs (district election officers). Due procedure laid by ECI has been followed,” it said in a statement.

Following the landslide victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition in the Maharashtra Assembly elections last month, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has raised allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) misuse. Despite the Election Commission’s clarification on Tuesday regarding the absence of discrepancies between EVM results and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, the MVA remains unconvinced.

The Opposition parties reiterated their concerns over the voter turnout data, specifically highlighting an alleged surge of 76 lakh votes recorded in the final hour of polling. This claim has added to their ongoing allegations about potential irregularities in the electoral process. The MVA has demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, asserting that the unusual voter turnout spike warrants further scrutiny.

“A press statement issued by the EC on their social media handle and other mode of communication without the signature of the State Election Commissioner itself raises more serious questions than the answers,” Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

 “It is an absolute lie… The EC is trying to mislead the country… There is no such arrangement (about counting or tallying the votes from VVPAT and EVMS) by the ECI… it is only when recounting is sought that they open the five machines. So all this is a whitewash,” NCP (SP) MLA and former minister Jitendra Awhad told.