EC's strong worded letter to Kharge, over Haryana elections 'unacceptable results'
- In Reports
- 06:05 PM, Oct 09, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Election Commission of India (EC) sent a strongly worded letter to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday in response to the party's claims about the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the recent Haryana assembly elections. The EC criticised Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh for calling the election results "unacceptable," stating that their remarks were not a valid part of free speech and expression.
Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera claimed that there had been EVM tampering, rejecting the results of the Haryana assembly election as "unacceptable". Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary in charge of communications for the Congress, stated during a press conference following the results that some candidates had observed that the party had lost on EVMs with a battery charge of 99%, while the party had won on those with a charge of 60–70%. The party claimed that an unprecedented "conspiracy" was hatched through the "manipulation" of electronic voting machines (EVMs), and on Tuesday it declared its refusal to accept the verdict.
However, in a blunt response, the EC wrote to Kharge, "Such an unprecedented statement as above in a generic sense, unheard in the rich democratic heritage of the country, is far from a legitimate part of free speech & expression and moves towards an undemocratic rejection of the will of the people expressed in accordance with the Statutory and Regulatory electoral framework, uniformly applied across all elections in the country including J&K and Haryana."
The poll panel announced that it will meet with the party delegation of 12 members, which includes Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the issues, taking note of remarks made by Rahul Gandhi and Kharge mentioning that the Congress has suggested to analyse and approach the EC with its complaints/grievances.
Congress lost the plot to the BJP in the Haryana elections, the results of which were released on Tuesday, as they only won 37 of the 90 assembly seats. In contrast, the BJP was able to defeat the opposition and win a historic third term in the state with 48 seats. However, Congress disapproved of the election mandate in an unprecedented move, arguing that the electronic voting machines had been tampered with. This is the first time that a significant political party in India has objected to the election results for this reason. The accusation was made amid discord within the party's Haryana chapter, where senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja conceded defeat.
Selja attributed the party's dismal performance in the state to the Hooda faction. Hooda, meanwhile, expressed shock at the outcome by saying he would accept the results "under protest." The Congress party's position has prompted criticism and a discussion concerning the legitimacy of India's electoral system.
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