Congress’s New Misleading Agenda, Denounces Neutrality of Election Commission of India

Paromita Das

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 11th May. The Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has come under heavy fire from the Election Commission of India (ECI) for remarks he made recently on the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections of 2024 that the ECI describes as “aggression on vitals of live election operations” between voters and ordinary Bharatiya. The ECI vehemently disagreed with Kharge’s claims, denouncing them as unfounded and harmful to the conduct of impartial and free elections. Notably, Kharge addressed the I.N.D.I. alliance leaders in a post on X on May 7th, addressing the purported disparities in the voting statistics disclosed by the ECI.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) commented on Kharge’s article, saying that it “Through innuendos and insinuations, the contents of the post tend to create disharmony in respect of the delicate space of election management, can plant doubts in the mind of voters and political parties.” “It will create confusion, misdirection, and impediments in the conduct of free and fair polls,” it was stated in the statement.

In addition, the ECI provided comprehensive point-by-point counters to refute his claims and guaranteed that there had been no lapse or departure in the gathering and distribution of voter participation data.

Nonetheless, it is important to remember that the establishment party and its allies in the I.N.D.I. Alliance have been making more strides in recent years to weaken the polling organization’s authority. They have virtually made a case for a revision of the Constitutional body and everything within the electoral process in accordance with their whims and the electoral outcomes of the Congress and their allies in the I.N.D.I. Alliance. They have raised questions about every step, person, and tool involved in the electoral process.

To be clear, Kharge cast doubt on one aspect of the election process by alleging in his article that there was a “high increment” and “inordinate delay” in the final voter turnout.

Still, he continued, saying, “Maybe this is an attempt to doctor the final results,” suggesting that the outcomes might be a farce. He went on to say that the ECI’s credibility has reached an “all-time low.” He boldly stated that there might be a “bump in voting in the final turn out” in places where the government is weak, implying that the ECI is tainted in order to sabotage an NDA government victory.

Surprisingly, the leaders of the I.N.D.I. Alliance have stepped up their efforts and successfully started a smear campaign against the ECI and the honesty of the Election Commissioners, in addition to making baseless accusations against EVMs and the sanctity of electoral rolls—the primary tool in the electoral process.

What are the allegations?

The opposition’s political strategy has revolved around claims of “flaws” in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which they use to attack the Modi government or provide an explanation for its repeated electoral setbacks. The leaders of the I.N.D.I. The alliance has been in positions of leadership for almost ten years, holding positions in people’s courts, election rallies, polling campaigns, and foreign press conferences. Kapil Sibal recently attended a press conference in London regarding “EVM hacking claims.” Nevertheless, not a single piece of evidence has been brought before the courts, and no attempt has been made to participate in ECI’s EVM hackathon.

For those who don’t know, after retiring, Manohar Singh Gill, the former chief election commissioner, joined the Indian National Congress. From 1996 to 2001, he was the CEC, and from 2004 to 2016, he was a Rajya Sabha MP for the Congress. It’s interesting to note that M.S. Gill, a former CEC who is now a Congress politician, was the one who brought electronic voting machines to Bharat. Opponents claim that if EVMs can give completely different electoral outcomes even with multiple checks added afterward, then the former Congress leader and CEC’s adoption of them was an attempt to rig the results in favor of the party he later joined.

But since losing their positions of authority, the leaders of the Congress and I.N.D.I. The alliance has not stopped denouncing the ECI as a “political arm” and “compromised body” of the governing party. The primary basis for this critique is the claim that the Election Commissioner lacks moral integrity. The Commissioner was initially chosen via a decades-old method and subsequently selected by a three-member panel that included the Leader of the Opposition.

Notably, the voting process has only become more sophisticated over time due to the

development of technology and court interventions. The most recent Election Commissioner appointment process has been maintained by the highest court and complies with recent directives from the Supreme Court. Evidently, in March 2024, the SC rejected the opposition’s irrational accusations and its ecosystem by refusing to stay the appointment of Election Commissioners.

The need to maintain the political parties, their leadership, and their organizational structure notwithstanding the election path is what drives their narrow self-interest in disguising their own shortcomings. It has begun brainwashing educated kids in prestigious colleges as well as the less knowledgeable voters. For instance, National Law University (NLU) Delhi students recently published an obituary for the ECI and held “mourning prayers” in his honor.

The growing accusations against every stage of the electoral process, which are based on hearsay, baseless assertions, lies, and political propaganda, could potentially set the stage for a Bharatiya version of the riots that occurred in the US on January 6th over the issue of “electoral fraud” in the presidential election.

It should be noted that a number of Congressmen, including Rahul Gandhi, have previously made threats of violence in relation to the Congress party’s election results. One of the biggest achievements of Bharatiya democracy in the last 75 years is the peaceful transfer of power, which is under attack from these challenges. If something goes wrong on June 4th, the threat of violence is nothing more than blackmail. It would be the same as giving the opposition parties carte blanche to create a central government in order to put an end to the bloodshed and muffle the muted shouts of “death of democracy.”