EC to review concerns raised by Cong in Maha

Asserting that it followed all electoral procedures in a transparent manner during the recent Maharashtra assembly polls, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday said it would review all legitimate concerns flagged by the Congress and invited a delegation of the party on December 3 for discussion.

The development came a day after the Congress wrote to EC, flagging "serious and grave inconsistencies" in data pertaining to the polling and counting processes for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections and seeking an "in-person hearing" to present relevant evidence. The issue was raised after a discussion on the matter during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Friday.

In the response, the EC wrote a letter to the Congress, reiterating that the process was transparent with the involvement of candidates or their agents at every stage. It also assured of a review of the party's "legitimate concerns" and a written response after hearing the party's delegation in person on December 3.

Responding to the Congress's concern regarding the voter turnout data, the poll body asserted there was no discrepancy in it and the data was available with all candidates polling station-wise and is verifiable.