Congress Forms Oversight Team for Delhi Elections
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Synopsis
In a critical move just days before the Delhi Assembly elections, Congress established an eight-member committee to ensure electoral integrity, challenging the impartiality of the Election Commission of India amidst claims of bias favoring the ruling BJP.
Key Takeaways
- Congress sets up EAGLE to oversee elections.
- Committee to address Maharashtra voter list issues.
- Panel includes notable Congress leaders.
- Kejriwal questions Election Commission's neutrality.
- Allegations of bias in previous elections raised.
New Delhi, Feb 2 (NationPress) Just three days ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5, the Congress party on Sunday formed an eight-member committee to keep a vigilant eye on the electoral process, signaling a challenge to the Election Commission of India’s impartiality.
A circular authored by AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal stated that the Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) will oversee "the facilitation of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India."
This panel will initially address the issue of manipulation in the Maharashtra voters' list and present a comprehensive report to the party leadership promptly, it noted.
EAGLE will also scrutinize previous elections in various states and proactively oversee future elections along with all matters concerning the integrity of electoral processes across the nation, the statement added.
The group comprises: Ajay Maken, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty, Pawan Khera, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy.
The establishment of the Congress panel comes amidst allegations from the ruling AAP in Delhi regarding the Election Commission’s bias favoring the BJP.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed concerns about the Election Commission’s commitment to conducting free and fair elections, suggesting that CEC Rajiv Kumar has a bias towards the BJP as he seeks a post-retirement position.
Congress MP Imran Masood supported Kejriwal’s assertions, claiming that the ECI has indeed been acting with bias against opposition parties.
Speaking to IANS, Masood stated, "It’s evident that the ECI is operating with bias, and opposition parties have raised this issue for some time. There is no doubt about the ECI’s partiality."
Previously, the Congress submitted a 12-page memorandum to the EC addressing two significant concerns regarding the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were won by the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance.
The memorandum alleged arbitrary alterations to voter lists, including the removal and addition of over 10,000 voters per constituency, and questioned the sudden increase in voter turnout towards the end of the polling process. The Congress party raised concerns about how voter turnout surged from 58.22 percent to 65.02 percent late in the polling.
Following its loss in Haryana, the Congress also cast doubt on the fairness of the electoral process, alleging manipulation of EVMs.
