Economist Questions Late-Night Votes in 2024 Andhra Pradesh Elections

Prabhakar cited Election Commission data indicating that 4.16% of votes—approximately 17 lakh—were recorded between 11:45 p.m. and 2 a.m. He questioned the plausibility of such figures, highlighting what he described as impossibly fast processing times despite mandatory verification steps. The claims directly target the NDA's sweeping victory of 164 seats, while YSRCP was reduced to 11 seats.

The press conference was attended by former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Together, they called for answers after receiving no response from the Election Commission of India to Prabhakar’s letter raising these concerns.

Addressing the allegations, the Election Commission of India stated that the reported turnout jumps were a result of standard data consolidation practices, similar to those observed in other states. No probe into the matter has been announced.

The controversy surrounding late-night vote recording and processing has intensified scrutiny of the electoral process, placing pressure on authorities to clarify procedural integrity in one of the most decisive election outcomes in recent Andhra Pradesh history.