Election data scientist alleges vote manipulation in Maharashtra Assembly elections
Mumbai: Pyarelal Garg, a prominent election data scientist, has raised serious concerns over the integrity of the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections. In an exclusive interview with The Federal's YouTube program Capital Beat, Garg alleged that discrepancies in the vote counts were observed in at least 92 constituencies, with an average manipulation of 26,500 votes per seat. He claimed these discrepancies disproportionately favoured the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Dr. Garg, a seasoned election analyst, presented detailed statistical evidence suggesting that the Election Commission of India (ECI) failed to maintain transparency during the voting and counting processes. Key points of his allegations include:
Garg highlighted discrepancies in the voter turnout data, which showed significant changes between 5:00 PM and 11:30 PM on polling day. He suggested this shift indicated potential tampering with the data.
Garg also pointed out that the data released by the ECI was not raw data (primary figures), but processed and aggregated, making it difficult to verify and analyse accurately.
He further alleged that voting percentages in Maharashtra rose by 7.83% after 5:00 PM, a stark contrast to the 0.86% increase observed in Jharkhand during the same election cycle. This, Garg argued, contributed to an additional 76 lakh votes, skewing the results in favour of the NDA.
Dr. Garg presented evidence suggesting that manipulation was systematic across the state. He noted that, in some constituencies, the margin of victory for NDA candidates was smaller than the number of manipulated votes. For example, in a constituency in Aurangabad, the margin of victory was around 18,000 votes, while Garg claimed that nearly 23,000 votes were added during the counting process.
“These discrepancies are not random but systematic,” Dr. Garg said. “It appears that the data has been tailored to benefit the ruling party.”
Dr. Garg also expressed doubts about the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), though he conceded that the machines themselves were secure. His concerns centred on the processes surrounding them, citing instances where the final vote tally did not match the figures from the EVMs during the counting process.
Dr. Garg criticised the judiciary for failing to address the Election Commission's non-compliance with Supreme Court directives, including the requirement for video documentation of polling booths after voting hours. He urged citizens to take action, demanding accountability from the ECI and ensuring the integrity of future elections.
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Gujarat ATS nabs labourer for providing information on Coast Guard ships to Pak agent
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested a labourer for allegedly sharing sensitive information regarding the movement of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships with a Pakistani agent, said a police official.
Dipesh Gohel, who worked as a welder-cum-labourer at Okha jetty in the coastal Devbhumi Dwarka district, shared sensitive information about ICG ships coming to the jetty with a Pakistan-based woman for a payment of Rs 200 per day, said Superintendent of Police (ATS) K Siddharth.
He has been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against the government under sections 61 and 147 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SP told reporters.
The ATS had been keeping a close watch on Gohel after receiving a tip-off that the labourer was in touch with an agent of Pakistan's spy agency ISI or an Army officer. Technical surveillance mounted after the tip-off established that phone calls and messages to Gohel emanated from Pakistan, he said.
"For the past three years, Gohel has been employed by a contractor who repairs Coast Guard vessels at Okha jetty. Gohel came in contact with a woman named Sahima on Facebook nearly seven months ago. The woman then started talking to him on WhatsApp," informed Siddharth.
The woman, who told Gohel that she works for the Pakistan Navy, offered to pay Rs 200 per day if he shares names and numbers of Coast Guard ships arriving at the jetty and their movement, said the police officer.
"Despite knowing that it was illegal, Gohel agreed and started sharing such sensitive information," said the SP.
Since Gohel does not have a bank account of his own, he gave account details of three of his friends. They all received Rs 42,000 in total through UPI during the last seven months from the woman. Gohel used to take cash from his friends against those deposits, said the IPS officer.
