Congress Denounces ECI's Response on 'Duplicate Voter-ID Numbers' as Inadequate and Deceptive
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Synopsis
The Congress party has criticized the Election Commission of India's (ECI) response regarding duplicate voter-ID numbers, labeling it as inadequate and deceptive. The party questions the integrity of voter lists and demands transparency, highlighting flaws in the ECI's explanations and processes.
Key Takeaways
- Congress dismisses ECI's response as inadequate.
- Concerns raised over the integrity of voter lists.
- EAGLE group monitors election processes.
- Questions raised about the ECI's credibility.
- Instances of duplicate voter-IDs in the same state noted.
New Delhi, March 7 (NationPress) In the midst of controversy regarding duplicate voter identification card numbers, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has stated it will tackle the "long-standing" issue within the next three months. Nevertheless, the Congress has dismissed the ECI’s claims, branding them as “inadequate and deceptive”.
The party has expressed serious concerns about the integrity of the voter lists, which it argues are defective and questionable.
"The Congress firmly rejects this inadequate and deceptive explanation from the ECI and reiterates its demands for transparency regarding the sanctity of voter lists in India," stated the grand old party’s Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) in a statement on Friday.
EAGLE was established by the Congress party to maintain a “bird’s eye view” over elections in the country and to “oversee the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India.”
The panel comprises Ajay Maken, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty, Pawan Khera, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Vamshi Chand Reddy.
“The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided a deceptive response regarding the allocation of identical voter IDs to multiple individuals. In its reply, the ECI seeks refuge in its procedures to deliver a weak explanation,” the statement added.
According to the statement, the ECI has been compelled to acknowledge that its voter lists are flawed and unreliable.
The EAGLE statement further elaborated that “the Election Commission, in a letter dated September 18, 2008, to Chief Electoral Officers of all States, asserted that ‘voter-IDs are unique’. However, the ECI now claims that the problem of duplicate voter-IDs is a “long-standing issue”.
“Which declaration from the ECI should Indian citizens accept? Why should the average voter trust the Election Commission today?” questioned the party.
“How is it that 17 years later, the ECI references forming a body to rectify the situation of multiple voter-IDs? Was the ECI misleading Indian voters about the ‘uniqueness’ of voter-IDs all along? If so, what other processes has the ECI misrepresented to its citizens?” the Congress probed.
The Congress leaders noted that the initial response from the Election Commission to these inquiries was defensive, claiming that 'this could only occur across states'.
“However, there are clear instances where multiple voters share the same voter-ID within the same assembly constituency in the same state,” the party stated, posing the question: “Is the ECI then being dishonest? As the issue of duplicate voter-IDs is evidently not confined to different states, but rather exists within the same state and, in many cases, within the same constituencies.”
The party has also questioned the silence surrounding Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi’s request for the Election Commission to provide a copy of the Maharashtra voter rolls.
“This only reaffirms what the Congress has been asserting - that the voter lists under the current ECI are dubious and flawed,” concluded the Congress.
