Concerns Raised Over Maharashtra Local Body Election Vote Counting Delay

Allegations of EVM Tampering in Maharashtra Elections

On Wednesday, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan expressed concerns regarding the postponement of vote counting for local body elections in Maharashtra, suggesting that this delay would provide the government ample opportunity to tamper with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

In the first phase of voting for 263 municipal councils and panchayats in Maharashtra, a turnout of 67.63% was recorded on Tuesday. Notably, in Dhule district, a local body chairperson and councilors were elected unopposed.

The Nagpur bench of the Mumbai High Court directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) to reschedule the counting of votes for all local body elections from December 3 to December 21.

Chavan remarked, "The EVM boxes will remain in warehouses for 16-17 days, giving the government sufficient time to manipulate them." He further claimed that public trust in the electoral process is diminishing.