At a gathering of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) held in opposition to the backdrop of back-to-back electoral defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Opposition occasion on Friday determined to launch a “nationwide motion” looking for “free and honest elections” and focused the Election Fee (EC) for its “partisan functioning”. The occasion determined to not focus solely on the integrity of Digital Voting Machines (EVMs) or the demand for a return to poll papers, and as a substitute agreed to widen the ambit of its motion to the “whole electoral course of”.
Days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge referred to as for a return to poll papers, the bigger consensus on the assembly, which lasted 4 and a half hours, was to give attention to what the occasion believes are “electoral malpractices” in any respect ranges. A piece of the Congress management thinks it isn’t prudent responsible EVMs for the losses for the reason that occasion doesn’t but have any stable proof to again its allegations and therefore the main focus ought to be broader.
Consequently, the decision adopted on the finish of the assembly didn’t point out EVMs. “The CWC believes the integrity of the whole electoral course of is being severely compromised. Free and honest elections is a Constitutional mandate that’s being referred to as into critical query by the partisan functioning of the Election Fee. Growing sections of society have gotten annoyed and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take up these public considerations as a nationwide motion,” learn the decision.
The CWC blamed “electoral malpractices” for the defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra. “The occasion’s efficiency in Haryana has been opposite to all expectations. Very merely, the INC ought to have shaped the federal government within the state by a convincing margin however it didn’t. However there have been electoral malpractices which have influenced the consequence within the state which have been missed. The CWC additionally accepts that the occasion’s efficiency, as certainly that of its MVA allies, in Maharashtra has been inexplicable and is, in truth, stunning. The electoral end result is past regular understanding. It seems to be a transparent case of focused manipulation,” learn the decision.
Sources stated among the many leaders who argued strongly that the occasion ought to demand a return to poll papers was AICC normal secretary and newly elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. At its 2018 session, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) handed a decision saying to “make sure the credibility of the electoral course of, the Election Fee ought to revert to the previous follow of paper poll as main democracies have achieved”.
Talking first, Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi is learnt to have stated that the occasion ought to take a constant stand and the primary demand ought to be a return to poll papers. He argued that for the reason that authorities and the EC won’t agree with that demand, the occasion ought to ask for 100% verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Path (VVPAT) slips to make sure that votes have been recorded accurately. Senior occasion chief Digvijaya Singh, who spoke subsequent, concurred. AICC treasurer Ajay Maken argued that, as a begin, the occasion ought to demand that 10 to twenty% of the VVPAT slips be given to the voters for verification.
Congress’s Deputy Chief within the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, argued that the occasion shouldn’t be fixated on EVMs, that are part of the bigger electoral course of. He alleged that “electoral malpractice” ranges from the EC’s “partisan behaviour” to tampering of electoral rolls and voter suppression. Sources stated Rahul Gandhi, the Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha, agreed with Gogoi’s suggestion, arguing that EVMs ought to be a part of the bigger demand without cost and honest elections. He instructed the CWC that the occasion ought to take a transparent stand and stated he by no means hesitates to take a place, be it on caste census, the Adani difficulty, or the Structure and the thought of India.
Priyanka requested the occasion leaders who gave the options to practise them first. She was stated to be clear {that a} return of the poll paper was the one choice to make sure free and honest polls. Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor’s was maybe the one contrarian view on the difficulty of EVMs. Gandhi, sources stated, instructed him that the EVM difficulty had loads of resonance amongst individuals.
Panel to look at Maharashtra debacle
Prefer it did in Haryana, the occasion has determined to arrange an “inside committee” to look into its electoral efficiency in Maharashtra.
Requested why the decision makes no point out of EVMs, the AICC normal secretary accountable for organisation, Okay C Venugopal, instructed reporters, “We clearly emphasised that electoral malpractices occurred throughout these elections. We’ve already despatched a technical group to Haryana and are going to ship a group to Maharashtra additionally. We can have an in depth evaluation on the sales space degree. There are such a lot of complaints … concerning the voters’ checklist and a discrepancy in polling numbers. We are going to do an intensive evaluation. There shall be two ranges of study, one political and one other technical.”
AICC media division chairman Pawan Khera stated, “The difficulty isn’t just about EVMs. It’s about the whole electoral course of. We’ve been complaining concerning the unlawful addition and deletion of names within the voters’ checklist. However there was no response from the EC. We had flagged the difficulty of batteries after the Haryana elections, once more no response. So, it isn’t simply concerning the EVMs, it’s about the whole electoral course of. How it’s being compromised is a explanation for concern.”
Whereas a number of leaders spoke concerning the Meeting election debacles, three leaders from Haryana — Randeep Singh Surjewala, Kumari Selja, and Deepender Hooda — didn’t converse on the assembly. In an obvious reference to Haryana, Chhattisgarh chief Tamradhwaj Sahu argued that the occasion ought to be certain that one particular person will not be given the whole cost of the occasion’s marketing campaign and candidate choice. Ultimately, Kharge stated that whereas the AICC was being blamed for the whole lot, it was the Pradesh Congress Committees that took all the selections. He stated the AICC “can not appoint even a peon” with out the approval of the state models.
The CWC decision additionally criticised the federal government for its “cussed refusal” to permit discussions in Parliament on the Adani bribery controversy, the continued violence in Manipur, and the “systematic makes an attempt of the BJP to foment communal tensions in numerous states, most just lately in UP”, resulting in a washout of the primary week of the Winter Session.
