Overview

• Sanjay Kumar of CSDS deleted his X post and apologised, saying his team misread a data row while comparing 2024 Lok Sabha and 2024 Assembly figures.
• The deleted post had claimed steep voter declines in Ramtek and Devlali, citing drops of about 38% and 37% between the national and state polls.
• BJP leaders accused Congress of using the erroneous figures to attack the Election Commission and called the episode a dangerous attempt at narrative building.
• Devendra Fadnavis, Pralhad Joshi, Amit Malviya and Gaurav Bhatia pressed for an impartial inquiry and urged Rahul Gandhi to retract and apologise.
• The BJP also pointed to earlier court dismissals of bogus voting petitions in Maharashtra and alleged foreign-funded influence behind the think tank’s work.