Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Office (CEO) recently criticised The Wire for publishing a misleading article about the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a decisive victory in the election, but The Wire targeted the process in a controversial piece titled “5,04,313 ‘Additional’ Votes? Maharashtra Data Mismatch Between Votes Polled and Counted.” The article, published on November 25, alleged discrepancies in vote counting and accused the electoral process of favoring the BJP.
CEO Maharashtra Debunks Misleading Claims of The Wire
In an official statement, CEO Maharashtra directly refuted the allegations and accused The Wire of deliberately misrepresenting electoral data. The response outlined several key points:
- Misrepresentation of Postal Ballots: The article ignored 5,38,225 postal ballots, which do not appear in voter turnout data but are part of the total vote count.
- Clarification of Final Vote Counts: The total votes cast, including postal ballots, reached 6,46,26,420, while the counted votes stood at 6,45,92,508—within permissible variations, showing no excess votes.
- Specific Constituency Analysis: The response addressed discrepancies in constituencies like Ashti and Osmanabad with accurate figures. In Ashti, officials counted 4538 valid postal ballots and rejected 475 invalid ones.
The CEO warned that such misreporting undermines public trust in constitutional bodies and democratic processes.
The Wire Faces Backlash for Deleting Content
After the CEO’s rebuttal, The Wire quietly removed the article from desktop access and deleted related tweets by its founding editor, Siddharth Varadarajan. The report, however, remained accessible on mobile platforms, prompting further criticism of the platform’s accountability.
A Pattern of Misreporting
This incident adds to The Wire’s history of unverified and misleading claims:
- Meta Controversy (2022): The Wire alleged that BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya possessed privileges to remove posts on Instagram. Fabricated evidence supported this story, which the platform later retracted.
- Tek Fog App Hoax (2022): The Wire claimed the BJP used a mysterious app to manipulate social media trends. Independent analysts debunked these claims, forcing the outlet to retract the story.
Both instances revealed a pattern of rushed reporting aimed at discrediting the BJP-led government.
What’s Next?
By publishing misleading articles, The Wire continues to attract scrutiny over its journalistic credibility. The Maharashtra CEO’s detailed rebuttal emphasizes the need for accurate and fact-based reporting, particularly during sensitive democratic events like elections. Media organizations must uphold accountability, as repeated lapses risk eroding public trust in both journalism and democratic institutions.