Elections
Nine JK seats had nil voter entries in 2024 polls, EVM-record gaps found in four, says Report
The findings are part of TRC’s Election Audit series, based on an analysis of Election Commission of India (ECI) records. The investigation identified 19 constituencies across Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Haryana where walk-in voter counts were recorded as nil or left blank.
Of these, nine were in J&K, while the remaining 10 were in Maharashtra and Haryana, according to the TRC investigation.
The affected J&K constituencies are Jammu parliamentary seat, Kishtwar, Jammu North, Shopian, DH Pora, Zainapora, Bandipora, Rafiabad and Karnah.
The walk-in count is a key electoral verification measure. Polling officials record voters’ details in Form 17A before they cast their votes through electronic voting machines (EVMs). The number of voters registered should correspond with the votes recorded by the machines.
TRC said the missing entries meant this verification could not be established in the nine constituencies. Results were declared and no repolls were ordered.
Three of the affected seats witnessed close contests. Kishtwar was decided by 521 votes, Bandipora by 811 and Shopian by 1,207.
The investigation also identified discrepancies between EVM totals and returning officers’ reports. Four of the five largest cases highlighted by TRC were from J&K.
Srinagar recorded the largest gap among the four, with EVMs showing 6,72,942 votes against 6,66,046 in the returning officer’s report, a difference of 6,896 votes.
However, TRC noted that the excess votes in the four J&K constituencies were below the respective winning margins and did not appear sufficient to change the results.
The report also flagged the absence of the returning officer’s report for Devsar in Kulgam district. TRC said it obtained 530 of the 531 reports it had sought.
National Conference candidate Peerzada Feroze Ahmad won Devsar by 840 votes, polling 18,230 votes against PDP candidate Mohammad Sartaj Madni.
TRC said it approached the Election Commission on October 21, 2026, seeking clarification on the discrepancies and details of any investigations conducted. The organisation said its questions remained unanswered, while the Commission’s grievance cell asked it to provide specific constituency details.
The investigation clarified that the discrepancies do not, by themselves, establish electoral fraud, but raised questions about whether prescribed verification procedures had been followed.
The findings also have political significance in J&K, where the National Conference won four of the nine constituencies with nil walk-in entries and Devsar, where the returning officer’s report was unavailable.
The party is meanwhile facing internal dissent and the resignation announcement of Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.
TRC has said it will publish the underlying data after completing its Election Audit series.