The dispute between the Election Commission (EC) and the main opposition party, Congress, has reached a new turn. On Sunday, the Election Commission responded to all the allegations made by Congress and Rahul Gandhi with facts and arguments. Following this, the opposition alliance INDIA Bloc has retaliated against the Election Commission's response.
INDIA Bloc Vs ECI: The opposition alliance INDIA has bly countered the Election Commission's response regarding alleged vote theft and the Special Intensive Revision of the Bihar voter list. At a press conference held at the Constitution Club, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stated that the Election Commission is evading its accountability. Meanwhile, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav alleged that the commission is repeatedly demanding affidavits from Rahul Gandhi, despite having submitted affidavits with complaints multiple times in 2018. Despite this, the Election Commission took no action and ignored our complaints.
Allegations of Congress and INDIA Bloc
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stated at the press conference that the Election Commission is evading its accountability. He mentioned that there are discrepancies in the voter lists in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, and the commission is silent on issues like the removal of video data. Gaurav Gogoi said that the Election Commission is in the hands of officials who are not investigating any allegations made by the opposition. The commission is unable to answer the questions raised by the opposition and is shirking its responsibility.
In the same press conference, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said that the Election Commission is repeatedly demanding affidavits from Rahul Gandhi, whereas affidavits with complaints have been submitted multiple times in 2018. Yadav alleged that the commission is ignoring our complaints, and this is a serious issue.
Voter List Controversy
The opposition specifically targeted the Election Commission regarding the Bihar voter list and the alleged vote theft case. Congress and SP leaders stated that the commission is rushing the SIR (Special Interim Review) process and is silent on the complaints made in Bihar. Gogoi said, "How were 7 million new voters added between the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, the commission is silent on this. This is a serious negligence on the part of the commission."
Ram Gopal Yadav also stated that the process of deleting votes has already begun in UP and that this is being done under a well-thought-out strategy. He says that this silence of the Election Commission is a matter of concern for the democratic process.
Mahua Moitra's Attack
TMC MP Mahua Moitra raised the issue of duplicate EPIC voter cards and fake voter lists in West Bengal. She said that action should be taken against former Election Commissioners and the Lok Sabha should be dissolved immediately. Describing the Chief Election Commissioner's statement as a "puppet show," Mahua Moitra said that the Election Commission's job is not to attack the opposition, but to ensure a fair and transparent election process.
She directly told the Chief Election Commissioner, "Go back to your political masters." The Election Commission had warned Rahul Gandhi to submit an affidavit or apologize to the country. The commission termed the opposition's allegations as baseless and said that the possibility of any kind of irregularity in the election process is being rapidly studied.
