Disquiet in Congress over EVM blame, internal survey showed party was losing Lok Sabha gains in Maharashtra

These surveys intelligibly indicated that the Ladki Bahin Yojana of the Eknath Shinde authorities was gaining traction.

Indeed, a survey conducted successful arsenic galore arsenic 103 seats successful October, little than 4 weeks earlier polling, showed that the MVA was losing the vantage it got successful the Lok Sabha elections. According to this survey, accessed by The Indian Express, of the 103 “strong MVA seats,” MVA was ahead successful lone 44 arsenic compared to the 54 it was up successful during the Lok Sabha election.

In comparison, the BJP-led Mahayuti, up successful 49 seats, was starring successful 56 seats. In 1 seat, “others” were up and 2 seats were classified arsenic “undecided.”

This survey concluded that Muslims look to beryllium the lone class wherever the MVA had an implicit pb implicit the NDA. In each different segments, General, OBCs, SBC, SC, SEBC, ST, the Mahayuti was up of the MVA.

It besides showed that the NDA led MVA successful each property groups, the highest among the young voters. Of these 103 seats, the Congress contested successful 52, the Shiv Sena (UBT) 28, NCP Sharad Pawar 21 and the CPM and the Samajwadi Party 1 each.

“We knew that we were dipping. Towards the end, we had a just thought that they (Mahayuti) were ahead. But the standard of their triumph and our decision did astonishment us,” said a Congress person who had entree to the surveys said.

One of the questions successful the survey was “Are you alert of the Ladki Bahin Yojana.” An estimated 88 per cent of the 57,309 respondents answered successful the affirmative. Eighty 2 per cent of the respondents said determination was a beneficiary of the strategy successful their family. And 17 per cent said their voting penchant has changed due to the fact that of the scheme.

“In 1 of the meetings held to finalise our manifesto, retired strategist told america that the Ladki Bahin Yojana was gaining traction. He insisted that the MVA committedness Rs 3000 monthly fiscal assistance to women arsenic a counter. The Mayahuti had by past promised revising the Rs 1,500-per period instalment nether Ladki Bahin to Rs 2,100 per month,” a person contiguous successful the gathering said.

“The enactment knew that the MVA was struggling to prolong the Lok Sabha gains…that among the women voters…the enactment for the Mahayuti was connected the rise…the information was earlier the leadership…but we are inactive blaming the EVMs. It suits some the authorities leaders and the nationalist leadership. It is simply a face-saving mentation for both,” said a leader.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won 13 seats successful Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (UBT) 9 and the NCP Sharad Pawar 8. Together the MVA won 30 of the 48 seats.

Days earlier polling, the Congress besides reached retired to the soybean farmers, announcing that the MVA, if voted to power, would hole Rs 7,000 per quintal positive bonus for soybean. Sources successful the Congress, however, said the enactment enactment is superior astir launching a run calling for instrumentality of insubstantial ballots. The Congress Working Committee, which is gathering Friday, would reappraisal the assembly predetermination results and could walk a solution taking guardant its scepticism connected EVMs.

This contempt the information that the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections conscionable months agone had suggested a mediate way which was acceptable to some EVM sceptics and believers. The manifesto had talked astir 2 sources of trust. “We committedness to reconstruct the voters’ spot successful the predetermination process. We volition amend the predetermination laws to harvester the ratio of the physics voting instrumentality (EVM) and the transparency of the ballot paper. Voting volition beryllium done the EVM but the elector volition beryllium capable to clasp and deposit the machine-generated voting gaffe into the voter-verifiable insubstantial audit way (VVPAT) unit. The physics ballot tally volition beryllium matched against the VVPAT gaffe tally,” the 2024 manifesto had said.