‘Smoke Of Generic Doubt...’: EC Rebuffs Congress On Haryana Election Irregularities Allegations

New Delhi: The Election Commission dismissed the Congress party's allegations of irregularities in the recent Haryana assembly elections on Tuesday. The Commission stated that Congress was merely raising "the smoke of a generic doubt" regarding the integrity of the entire electoral process, a tactic they have used in previous elections. 

The Election Commission has issued a warning to the Congress party, urging it to avoid making ‘baseless allegations’ after each election. 

In a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the poll body said, "This is least expected of a national political party. The commission appreciates the criticality of the considered views of political parties in sustaining and strengthening electoral democracy in the country and assures that it will remain committed towards timely grievance redressal," reported PTI. 

What Congress Had Claimed 

The Congress party submitted multiple complaints to the Election Commission, including claims of a delay in the vote counting process on October 8, the day the results for the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir elections were announced. 

The Congress party also requested clarification regarding the 99% battery status displayed on the control units (CU) of electronic voting machines (EVM) during the counting process at certain polling stations across 26 assembly constituencies. 

Election Commission's Reply 

The Election Commission pointed out that, over the past year, Congress has repeatedly raised baseless questions about key parts of India's electoral process. They noted that Congress seems to follow a clear pattern in when and how they make these claims. 

ECI stated that it was ‘once again’ compelled to highlight that there is ‘no evidence whatsoever’ of any statutory electoral steps being compromised. The Commission accused Congress of "once again raising the smoke of a generic doubt" regarding the credibility of the entire electoral outcome, ‘exactly in a similar manner as it has done in recent past.’ 

"At the same time, the commission sincerely urges INC to take firm and concrete steps, matching with the party's long and illustrious standing, to amend their ... approach...," the letter to Kharge further read.

(With PTI inputs)