The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), under the education ministry, is taking decisive action against the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). This follows a misleading social media post by Sanjay Kumar Lokniti’s co-director claiming a steep 36–38% drop in voters in two Maharashtra constituencies between Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Kumar has since admitted it was a data-reading error, apologised, and deleted the tweet. 

The ICSSR has condemned the mistake as more than an innocent slip it sees it as “data manipulation” aimed at undermining trust in the Election Commission. As a result, CSDS will receive a formal show-cause notice, marking the seriousness with which this misstep is viewed. 

The issue took on political overtones. The BJP accused the Congress of weaponizing the false data to spread propaganda citing shares of Kumar’s post by leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Pawan Khera. They spotlighted the time it lingered online allegedly 40 hours and claimed the data error had already done reputational damage.

For his part, Kumar expressed regret. He explained that his team misread data rows comparing the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, stressing there was no intent to misinform.

This incident spotlights how academic research can have major ripple effects especially when shared hastily in the social media era. It reminds us that every data claim, particularly around elections, demands extra care both to preserve institutional credibility and safeguard public confidence.