ICSSR to Issue Show-Cause Notice Over Controversial Election Data by CSDS

ICSSR plans to send a show-cause notice to CSDS for allegedly manipulating election data and undermining the Election Commission's integrity. A disputable social media post by Sanjay Kumar, a CSDS professor, led to this action. The controversy has fueled political tensions between the BJP and Congress.

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has announced plans to issue a show-cause notice to the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). The move comes following allegations that the CSDS released manipulated election data, which could potentially undermine the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

This decision was prompted by recent social media activity from Sanjay Kumar, a CSDS psephologist. Kumar's posts regarding voter data discrepancies in Maharashtra's assembly seats, originally uploaded to social media platform X, were later deleted and followed by an apology citing erroneous data readings.

The incident has sparked political tensions, with the BJP accusing Congress of conspiring with CSDS against national interests. The ICSSR takes these accusations seriously as they maintain strict adherence to the Grant-in-Aid rules and the sanctity of the Indian Constitution.

(With inputs from agencies.)