Lokniti's Sanjay Kumar apologises for erroneous voter data amid ‘Vote Chori’ debate in Maharashtra
New Delhi: Prominent psephologist and co-director of Lokniti-CSDS, Sanjay Kumar, has apologised after deleting a social media post that reported a massive surge in voter numbers in two Maharashtra Assembly constituencies, giving fresh momentum to the Congress’ allegations of electoral malpractice in the state.
The post, shared on X (formerly Twitter) on August 17, claimed voter increases of 47.38% in Nashik West and 43.08% in Hingna between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. It was widely circulated by Opposition leaders, particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to support allegations of ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) in Maharashtra.
Kumar later admitted the figures were incorrect, stating, “Error occurred while comparing data of 2024 Lok Sabha and 2024 Assembly. The data in row was misread by our Data team. The tweet has since been removed. I had no intention of dispersing any form of misinformation.”
The incident has intensified the ongoing debate over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, which the Congress claims was carried out in collusion with the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP, however, criticised Kumar, calling his actions “reckless” and accusing him of amplifying the Opposition’s narrative of electoral fraud.
BJP leader Amit Malviya described the incident as “confirmation bias rather than analysis” and urged the public to scrutinise claims made by Kumar and other psephologists closely. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Sanjay Kumar of CSDS admits his data on Maharashtra was fake. Based on this fakery, the Congress ecosystem attacked the ECI. Will the Congress apologise for insulting Maharashtra and its great people?”
Rahul Gandhi had cited similar voter data during a press conference on August 17, alleging manipulation of electoral rolls to benefit the BJP and terming it “vote chori.” Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, however, refuted these claims as “baseless” and urged the Congress leader to substantiate the allegations or apologise.
The Bihar Chief Electoral Officer’s office also acknowledged Kumar’s apology, noting that the data had been widely quoted by Congress and other Opposition leaders to question the ECI’s credibility.
According to India Today, Kumar’s deleted post stated that the number of voters in Nashik West had risen from 3,28,053 in the Lok Sabha elections to 4,83,459 in the Assembly polls, while in Hingna it grew from 3,14,605 to 4,50,414. The post had been tagged with Lokniti-CSDS and CSDS Delhi, and quickly gained traction among Opposition leaders before the error was identified.
The ECI has clarified that voter roll revisions, including Maharashtra’s updates, are conducted to remove duplicates and deceased voters, ensuring transparency and not to disenfranchise legitimate voters.
This controversy comes amid broader Opposition allegations over electoral roll manipulations in Bihar during the Special Intensive Revision exercise ahead of the state Assembly elections later this year.
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MP: 12 labourers killed, 20 injured as pick-up van overturns and crashes into SUV
Dhar (MP) (PTI): Twelve labourers were killed and 20 others injured when the pick-up van carrying them overturned and collided with an SUV in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night, an official said.
The incident occurred at 8:30-9 PM. According to preliminary information, 35 labourers were returning home in a pickup van from Baggad in Dhar district when the driver lost control of the vehicle near Chikliya crossing. The vehicle overturned and collided with an SUV coming from the opposite direction.
"Twelve people died on the spot, while approximately 20 others were injured," said Dhar district's in-charge collector, Abhishek Choudhary.
The seriously injured persons were referred to Indore after initial treatment, he said.
Choudhary, DIG Mayank Awasthi, and police personnel rushed to the spot.
Tirla police have registered a case and are investigating the accident.
