Congress made claims of irregularities in the recently ended Haryana Assembly votes, but the Election Commission of India (ECI) rejected the claims, calling them “baseless.”
Additionally, Congress and other political parties have been urged by the poll commission to refrain from voicing “unfounded and sensational complaints” during crucial periods, including polling and counting days, since this can cause unneeded turbulence, disturb social order, and incite public unrest.
After Congress voiced concerns about the EVMs showing a 99 percent battery status during vote counting, implying that the machines may have been tampered with and accused officials of purposefully postponing the counting process, the Election Commission responded.
“The Election Commission categorically rejects all baseless allegations and apprehensions conveyed by INC regarding all aspects of the electoral process in the recently concluded election to the state assembly of Haryana,” the poll panel said in a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “This is least expected of a national political party. The commission appreciates the criticality of the considered views of political parties in sustaining and strengthening electoral democracy in the country and assures that it will remain committed towards timely grievance redressal,” it added.
Additionally, the Election Commission chastised Congress for frequently raising “generic doubts” about election results when they are not favourable.
The polling organisation urged the grand old party to take “concrete steps” to buck the trend of what it views as baseless complaints in a stern statement, pointing out that such accusations might damage the electoral process’s legitimacy.
“ECI is compelled to note that with no evidence whatsoever of any statutory electoral step being compromised and candidate’s consent to proceed to each next stage being on record; the INC has once again raised the smoke of a generic doubt about the credibility of an entire electoral outcome exactly in similar manner as it has done in recent past. This is least expected of a national political party,” it said.
Congress General Secretary and Communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh addressed a news conference shortly after the Haryana Assembly election results were announced on October 8, accusing the BJP of undermining the will of the people and claiming that the EVMs were manipulated.
According to Ramesh, the outcomes in Haryana are completely unexpected, startling, and illogical. His words, “It goes against ground reality,” In a letter to the Election Commission, the Congress leader also claimed that the poll panel’s website was taking longer to publish current trends.
The BJP won 48 of the 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly elections, handily defeating the forecasts of exit polls. In the meantime, the Congress only secured 37 seats in the Assembly, despite a decade-long wave of anti-incumbency sentiment against the BJP.
