Nearly two months after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has raised serious concerns about vote count discrepancies. Narendra Modi's third term as Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi's role as Leader of the Opposition come under scrutiny due to significant irregularities in vote counts across 538 seats.
ADR founder Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar presented a report at the Press Club, revealing that 5,54,598 fewer votes than those cast were counted in 362 seats. The report highlights similar issues in Bihar-Jharkhand, where 19 out of 40 Bihar seats had fewer votes, while 21 seats had more votes than cast, totaling an 18,273 vote discrepancy. Jharkhand saw 26,342 fewer votes across 12 seats and 393 more votes in two seats, indicating a rigging of 26,735 votes.
The Election Commission has yet to address these discrepancies. Despite releasing overall voting data showing a 65.79% voter turnout, 1.61% less than in 2019, the Commission has not explained the vote count differences.
The ADR report underscores significant concerns about electoral integrity in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The discrepancies in vote counts demand urgent attention and transparency from the Election Commission to uphold democratic processes.
