Assam voting fraud claim: Viral claims false, incident dates back to 2021 Assembly polls

Guwahati: Allegations of voting fraud linked to electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Assam have surged on social media amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Various online posts, including one archived here, have circulated claims suggesting electoral malpractice in Assam's Dima Hasao district, which went to polls in the second phase on April 26.

One post, originating from X (formerly), alleged, "There were only 90 voters at a booth in Dima Hasao district of Assam, but 171 votes were cast in EVM, 5 officers of Election Commission suspended(sic)." The post was accompanied by hashtags such as #LokSabhaElection2024, and similar claims were presented as "Breaking news" in other posts. Archived versions of such posts can be accessed here, here, and here.

However, the fact-checking website Logically Facts found that the incident referred to in these claims dates back to 2021, coinciding with the Assam state assembly elections.

Upon conducting a Google search of the numbers and location mentioned in the viral post, the website found news reports by Indian Express and Times of India, both published on April 5, 2021. Credited to PTI, these reports detailed an irregularity in Assam's Dima Hasao district. Specifically, a booth in the Haflong constituency, which had only 90 registered voters, recorded 171 votes during the second phase of the state assembly election held on April 1, 2021. Consequently, five election commission officers were suspended the following day due to the discrepancy.

Subsequent reports, including one from Indian Express on April 6, 2021, and another from Times of India on the same day, confirmed the incident. The number of cast votes was corrected to 181, and six polling officers faced suspension. Assam's then Chief Electoral Officer, Nitin Khade, acknowledged the error, stating that polling officials at the 107-A Khothlir LP School permitted 181 individuals to vote despite only 90 registered voters.

Moreover, a report by India Today confirmed that repolling occurred at Mualdum LP School under the Haflong constituency on April 20, 2021. This was due to additional votes being cast, attributed to confusion where voters from Mualdam Lower Primary School mistakenly voted at Khothlir LP School. The district election officer of Dima Hasao attributed this error to negligence on the part of polling officials.

The official account of Assam's Chief Electoral Officer on X (archived here) issued a clarification regarding the viral claim, confirming that the incident occurred during the 2021 assembly election. Repolling was conducted, and disciplinary action was taken against the responsible officers.

Logically Facts corroborated this information by reaching out to Assam's Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Goel, who reiterated that the viral incident is from 2021 and unrelated to the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

In conclusion, the claim circulating on social media alleging recent voting fraud in Assam's Dima Hasao district during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is false. The incident actually occurred during the 2021 assembly polls.

This story is republished from Logically Facts as part of the Shakti Collective. Read the original story here.