NEW DELHI: A day after the Election Commission tweaked electoral rules to restrict public inspection of certain documents, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday claimed the move to be a part of BJP-NDA government’s another “systematic conspiracy” to undermine the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India.
On Friday, the Union law ministry amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, limiting the types of “papers” or documents accessible for public inspection. Subsequently, the Election Commission revised electoral regulations to specify that CCTV footage from polling stations will not be considered “documents” available for viewing by candidates or the public. The earlier provision under Section 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules allowed “all other election-related papers” to be inspected by the public with court authorisation.
However, the new changes seem to have flared the Congress up, with Kharge hitting out, saying the “Modi government’s calibrated erosion of the poll panel’s integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and democracy.”
Taking to X, Kharge said, “Modi government’s audacious amendment in the Conduct of Election Rules is another assault in its systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India. Earlier, they had removed the Chief Justice of India from the Selection panel which appoints Election Commissioners, and now they have resorted to stonewall electoral information, even after a High Court order”.
Kharge alleged that whenever Congress writes to the EC about specific electoral irregularities, such as voter deletions and transparency issues with EVMs, the ECI responds in a ‘condescending’ manner and fails to acknowledge certain serious complaints.
The Congress chief also accused the EC of not acting “independently” despite being a quasi-judicial body. “The Modi government’s calibrated erosion of ECI’s integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and Democracy and we will take every step to safeguard them,” Kharge said.
Earlier on Saturday, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said his party would challenge this amendment in courts “right away”. He said, “If there was ever a vindication of our assertions regarding eroding integrity of the electoral process managed by EC in recent times, this is it.”
However, the poll body has maintained that it was done to protect the privacy of voters and for their safety. The amendments were prompted by a recent directive from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered the Election Commission to provide an advocate with copies of specific documents related to the Haryana Assembly elections.
