Congress Alleges Vote Theft By BJP in 2023 Assembly Polls, BJP Calls It ‘Baseless’
Votes polled by the BJP in the 2018 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh was one percent higher than that of Congress: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar
BHOPAL: Congress on Tuesday alleged that around 16 lakh votes were added fraudulently just two months before the November 2023 Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, which cost the party 27 seats.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar accused the BJP of forming the government in the state with a fake mandate by stealing votes with the help of the election commission (EC).
He said the votes polled by the BJP in the 2018 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh was one percent higher than that of Congress.
He questioned how the difference increased to nine percent in the 2023 Assembly polls and alleged that this had happened because of manipulation of votes.
He alleged that Congress had lost the 27 seats with narrow margins in the 2023 Assembly polls because of this.
Thousands of voters were added in these seats just two months before the polls, he alleged.
In the November 2023 Assembly polls, BJP retained power in MP by winning 163 out of 230 seats whereas Congress had secured 66 seats.
In 2018 Assembly polls, Congress returned to power in the state by winning 119 seats despite securing one percent less votes than its principal rival BJP.
BJP had then bagged 109 seats.
Congress government headed by Kamal Nath had however barely lasted 15 months and collapsed in March 2020 due to the desertion of the party by 22 MLAs.
Senior BJP leader and state minister Visvas Sarang however dismissed the charges of vote theft leveled against his party in the 2023 Assembly polls, describing it ‘utterly baseless, mischievous and scandalous’.
The CLP wants to follow the footsteps of his leader Rahul Gandhi by making such wild allegations to please him, Mr. Sarang said.
The minister said that there is a provision of challenging the poll results of any seat within 45 days of declaration of results if anyone has any objection to it and there is also a provision to challenge the voters’ list till the time of withdrawal of nomination in a seat if any discrepancy is found.
But Congress has filed no complaints with the EC in this regard even 20 months after the election, he said.
“Congress makes charges only in a press conference, but does not file a petition in the court”, he said and added that this clearly shows the party leaders’ mischievous intentions.
