Election Commission Slams Congress' "Baseless" Allegations In Haryana Assembly Results; Warns Against "Frivolous" Complaints

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (29 October) firmly rejected the Congress party's allegations of irregularities in the recent Haryana Assembly elections, calling the claims of tempering “baseless.”

The poll body has also asked Congress and other political parties to avoid raising “frivolous and unfounded doubts” that “have the potential of creating turbulence when crucial steps like polling and counting are in live play”, which can lead to unnecessary disruption of social order.

The Election Commission's response came after Congress had voiced concerns over a 99 per cent battery status on the control units of EVMs, during counting in some polling stations of 26 constituencies hinting at tampering, and accused officials of intentionally slowing down the counting process.

"The Election Commission categorically rejects all baseless allegations and apprehensions conveyed by INC regarding all aspects of the electoral process in the recently concluded election to the state assembly of Haryana," the poll panel said in a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

"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," it added.

Furthermore, the Election Commission also criticised Congress for repeatedly questioning electoral outcomes through what it called "generic doubts" when results are unfavourable.

In a firm statement, the poll body called upon the grand old party to take "concrete steps" to avoid the trend of frivolous complaints, pointing out the potential for such allegations to undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

"ECI is compelled to note that with no evidence whatsoever of any statutory electoral step being compromised and candidate's consent to proceed to each next stage being on record; the INC has once again raised the smoke of a generic doubt about the credibility of an entire electoral outcome exactly in similar manner as it has done in recent past. This is least expected of a national political party," it said.

Soon after the results of the Haryana Assembly polls were declared on 8 October, Congress General Secretary and Communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh held a press conference, alleging EVM manipulation and accusing the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) of subverting the people's will.

Ramesh said the results in Haryana are totally unexpected, surprising, and counter-intuitive.

"It goes against ground reality," he said.

The Congress leader also wrote to the Election Commission, alleging slowing down the uploading of up-to-date trends on the poll panel's website.

Despite enduring a decade-long wave of anti-incumbency, the BJP clinched 48 out of 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly, while the Congress won only 37 seats, marking a significant victory for the ruling party.

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