Congress seeks probe; Election Fee states, social gathering rejecting will of individuals | India Information

NEW DELHI: A day after Congress refused to just accept the Haryana verdict, dubbing it “sudden and unacceptable”, prime social gathering functionaries met EC and submitted a memorandum demanding a radical probe even because the ballot panel slammed Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera. In a letter to social gathering chief Mallikarjun Kharge, EC mentioned the “unprecedented assertion (by Ramesh and Khera)…unprecedented within the wealthy democratic heritage of the nation, is way from a respectable a part of free speech and expression and strikes in direction of an undemocratic rejection of the need of the individuals…”
The standoff between Election Fee and Congress intensified on Wednesday. A day after Congress, in a primary for a nationwide social gathering, refused to just accept the Haryana verdict dubbing it “sudden and unacceptable”, prime social gathering leaders met the EC and submitted a memorandum demanding a radical probe even because the ballot panel slammed Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera for his or her “unprecedented” assertion that the outcomes have been “unacceptable”, saying it amounted to “undemocratic rejection of the need of the individuals”.
A Congress delegation comprising former CMs Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and social gathering leaders Okay C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera and Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan met the EC and demanded that each one the machines for which complaints have been made must be sealed and secured until the inquiry was accomplished. Senior social gathering chief Abhishek Singhvi joined the assembly on-line.
The ballot panel made a distinction between the statements of Congress spokespersons Ramesh and Khera and social gathering president Mallikarjun Kharge’s response to the outcome. In contrast to the 2 spokespersons, Kharge kept away from rejecting the outcome, limiting himself to describing it as “sudden”. EC mentioned it agreed to listen to the Congress delegation on EVM grievances solely as a result of it thought of the social gathering president’s place not rejecting the result, and never that of the 2 spokespersons, to be the social gathering’s official stance.
In a strongly-worded letter to Kharge, EC mentioned the “unprecedented assertion (by Ramesh and Khera)… in a generic sense, unheard within the wealthy democratic heritage of India, is way from a respectable a part of free speech and expression and strikes in direction of an undemocratic rejection of the need of the individuals expressed in accordance with the statutory and regulatory electoral framework, uniformly utilized throughout all polls within the nation, together with J&Okay and Haryana”.
The stand taken by Jairam and Khera had raised many eyebrows as no nationwide social gathering had up to now outright rejected polls, one thing which is a daily characteristic in lots of international locations.
Although Congress mentioned EVM points have been raised in seven meeting constituencies with no motion taken by the returning officer (RO), EC sources advised TOI that six complaints have been obtained throughout counting in Haryana, of which just one associated to discrepancy within the battery lifetime of EVMs. “All these complaints have been disposed of by RO earlier than declaration of the outcomes. Congress candidates involved signed the outcome sheet. But, they’re now flooding EC with complaints,” an EC functionary mentioned.
As per Part 81 of Illustration of the Folks’s Act, 1951, as soon as the result’s declared by the RO, it could possibly solely be challenged by submitting an election petition within the excessive courtroom inside 45 days. “All events are effectively versed with these provisions however find yourself publicly making EVMs or EC the autumn man to construct a story and canopy up their electoral defeat. This noise is never adopted up with election petitions,” a former authorized advisor to EC mentioned.
Barely 92 election petitions have been filed throughout the 45-day timeframe after 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as towards 138 filed submit the 2019 LS polls.
In its memorandum addressed to the chief election commissioner, Congress mentioned, “Throughout counting of votes for Haryana, a obtrusive discrepancy was found by INC candidates and their respective polling brokers associated to the battery cost/well being/capability of the EVM machines.”