In August 2025 a CSDS psephologist posted figures showing sharp swings in voter numbers in four Maharashtra constituencies, and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared them to attack the Election Commission. The claim does not stand: the pollster deleted the post two days later and apologised, saying the data had been "misread".
Claim: Data from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) shows voter numbers fell sharply in Ramtek and Deolali, and rose in Hingna and Nashik, between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Said by: Posted by CSDS-linked psephologist Sanjay Kumar; shared by Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.
What the record shows: Kumar deleted the post and apologised, saying the data was misread. Newslaundry
Where the claim came from
In August 2025 Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" campaign accused the Election Commission of manipulating voter rolls. The Week/PTI In mid-August Sanjay Kumar, a psephologist associated with CSDS, posted that the electorates of Ramtek and Deolali had dropped significantly between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, while Hingna and Nashik had surged. All four seats were won by the NDA. Newslaundry
Claim · Pawan Khera Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera shared the data to criticise the Election Commission as part of the party's campaign. Newslaundry
What the evidence shows
Documented Two days after posting, Kumar deleted the post and apologised, saying the data had been "misread". He declined to comment further to Newslaundry. Newslaundry Because the source withdrew the numbers, they cannot support the claim.
The retraction had consequences. The Indian Council of Social Science Research, which funds CSDS, said it would issue a show-cause notice. Nagpur police booked Kumar under BNS sections 175, 353(1)(b), 212 and 340(1)(2) for allegedly spreading misinformation. Newslaundry
Claim · BJP BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused Kumar of pushing Congress's "fake narrative", and Devendra Fadnavis said Gandhi's charges rested on CSDS data and called him a "serial liar". TV anchors described Gandhi as "embarrassed". Newslaundry
Newslaundry pointed out a limit to that reading. Gandhi's Maharashtra allegations predated Kumar's post and relied on Election Commission data, not CSDS figures, and most coverage did not say so. The retraction disproves Kumar's four-seat figures, not every claim in the wider dispute. Newslaundry
Context
Election Commission's position On 17 August 2025 CEC Gyanesh Kumar asked Gandhi to file a signed affidavit or "apologise to the nation". The Week/PTI The voter-roll fight later grew into the SIR dispute and the 2026 protests against the CEC, covered on our SIR and CEC protests page.
Questions people ask
Why did Sanjay Kumar of CSDS apologise?
He said his post on voter numbers in four Maharashtra seats was based on misread data, and deleted it two days after posting.
Did Rahul Gandhi use CSDS data?
Newslaundry noted that his Maharashtra allegations predated Kumar's post and relied on Election Commission data, though BJP leaders said otherwise.
Was a case filed against Sanjay Kumar?
Yes. Nagpur police booked him under several BNS sections for allegedly spreading misinformation, and the ICSSR said it would issue CSDS a show-cause notice.
