Bid to push biased narrative: EC hits out at Mallikarjun Kharge on turnout data charge
New Delhi, May 10
Reacting strongly to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s letter to INDIA partners alleging discrepancies in the voter turnout data, the Election Commission on Friday said the leader was trying to push a “biased narrative” under the garb of seeking clarifications.
INDIA bloc leaders meet EC
- INDIA bloc leaders met the EC, raising concerns over huge 5.5% spike in turnout data in revised figures released after a ‘long’ gap of 11 days
ADR moves apex court
- NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has moved the SC over delay in release of turnout data
- Seeks directions to EC to disclose final data within 48 hours of polling
In a strong-worded response to Kharge, the EC said the letter was in the form of internal correspondence within a political grouping, and yet he made it public (by posting it on X).
In the five-page response with a series of annexures, the EC rejected charges of mismanagement and delay in the release of voter turnout data, terming these “unwarranted”, “without facts” and “reflective of a biased and deliberate attempt to spread confusion”. On the allegation of bid to doctor results, the EC said it could create an anarchic situation, besides doubts and disharmony.
The Congress has termed the “content and intent” of the response a “permanent blot” on the reputation of the institution.
Reacting to the main point raised by Kharge on the rise in actual voter turnout figures by 5.5 per cent from the initial data for the first two phases, the EC said there was no delay and pointed out the updated turnout data had always been higher than what was released on polling day.
The commission supported its argument by releasing a “factual matrix” of figures from elections, beginning with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “The polling data is available in real time. The charge that its release was delayed is absurd,” the EC said, adding no actual contesting candidate of the Congress or INDIA bloc had raised the issue either of unavailability of final polling data (through Form 17C) or electoral rolls.
“Utterances from the president of a national political party attacking the very credibility of the electoral processes can have a negative impact on voter participation and can be seen as a means to demoralising the huge number of election staff and machinery,” the EC told Kharge, advising him to “exercise caution” and “refrain” from making such statements.
