Maharashtra Election Results Face Opposition Challenge Over EVM Integrity

The Election Commission asserts no discrepancies in EVM-VVPAT tallies, while opposition parties plan Supreme Court action questioning the credibility of the voting process.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has confirmed that no mismatches were found between VVPAT slips and EVM tallies in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, following mandatory verifications in all 288 constituencies.
Opposition alliance INDIA bloc, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), alleges manipulation of EVMs and plans to approach the Supreme Court to address their concerns.
Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer and Additional Chief Electoral Officer have both stated that EVMs are tamper-proof due to their standalone design and one-time programmable chips, dismissing allegations of hacking or tampering.
The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition secured a decisive victory with 235 out of 288 seats, while the opposition MVA alliance suffered significant losses, winning only 46 seats collectively.
Calls for a return to paper ballot voting have grown among opposition leaders and some voters, citing doubts over EVM transparency, despite the Supreme Court's past rulings upholding EVM reliability.