The Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), a renowned research institute in New Delhi, is in crisis. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) is considering stopping or suspending grants to the institute.
According to reports, 80 to 90 percent of CSDS’s total revenue comes from government grants. About Rs 5.8 crore has been allocated from the ICSSR in 2024-25, which basically covers a major chunk of employee salaries. If these grants are reduced or stopped, the institution’s existence may be threatened.
The decision comes on the back of a controversial incident surrounding the Maharashtra Assembly elections. In a post on X (earlier on Twitter), Sanjay Kumar, co-director of the CSDS Lok Niti Program and noted opinion analyst, highlighted the unusual rise and fall in voter turnout in some assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. He compared voter data for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and noted “inconsistencies”.
Opposition parties, especially the Congress, have used the data on allegations of ‘vote theft’ with leaders including Rahul Gandhi using it as a weapon to question the Election Commission. But later Sanjay Kumar himself deleted the post and apologized. He admitted that the data team made a mistake by reading the data in the wrong row.
It is wrong to compare the data of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. “I sincerely apologize. It was a mistake,” he said. The controversy did not stop. BJP leaders accused it of spreading ‘false narratives’ and requested the ICSSR to take action against it. ICSSR has now issued a show cause notice to CSDS.
The organization has been accused of trying to ‘dilute’ the Election Commission and violating donation norms. Not only Maharashtra, Bihar’s Special Intensive Review (SIR) has also been accused of ‘biased’ interpretation of the CSDS survey. ICSSR said the incidents also indicate administrative and financial irregularities at the institute.