New Delhi, May 10 :
The Election Commission of India on Friday strongly criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for questioning the integrity of the electoral process, saying it is “highly undesirable” to create confusion and impediment to the conduct of smooth, free and fair election.
In a five-page response, the poll panel rejected charges of mismanagement and delay in the release of voter turnout data and termed Kharge’s allegations “unwarranted”, “without facts” and “reflective of a biased and deliberate attempt to spread confusion”.
The strong worded response came from the poll body after the Congress President raised questions over the conduct of ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
On Tuesday, Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the leaders of various parties of the opposition INDIA bloc, questioning the alleged discrepancies in the voting data released by the Election Commission. Kharge urged the INDIA bloc leaders to raise their voice against such alleged discrepancies, for “our only objective is to protect the culture of a vibrant.
However, the Commission categorically rejected Kharge’s contentions, dismissing them as insinuations and innuendos lacking any factual basis.
“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 minds of voters and political parties and potentially created an anarchic situation, when you said ‘could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?’ which this Commission hopes you do not have any intention of,” the EC said.
Utterances can have a negative impact on voters’ participation and demoralize the large election machinery across states, it added.
In a point by point rebuttals of Kharge’s claims, ECI asserted that there have been no lapses or deviations in the collection and dissemination of voter turnout data.
The poll panel said it found Kharge’s letter, placed in the public domain in the middle of the ongoing electoral process, “highly undesirable” and designed to create confusion, misdirection and impediment to the conduct of smooth, free and fair elections.
