The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): On Wednesday, the Congress party voiced concerns over the Election Commission’s independence, asserting that it has been “severely eroded” since 2014. This statement followed an incident where the National Panthers Party (NPP) chairman, Harsh Dev Singh, along with supporters, was detained by the police in Jammu. They had been attempting to protest outside Nirvachan Bhawan against the postponement of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
A delegation from the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, arrived in Jammu to assess the preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory. Amidst these developments, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the Election Commission for its refusal to engage with the INDIA bloc parties regarding the demand for counting 100% Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips alongside Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) results.
Ramesh’s statement emphasized the perceived decline in the Commission’s autonomy, stating, “The ECI has refused to meet INDIA parties on the issue of 100% VVPATs. It is a Constitutional body, but its independence has been severely eroded since 2014.” He expressed his dismay over the situation in Jammu, labeling the Election Commission’s actions as both unsurprising and shocking.
The criticism was sparked by a social media post from a Congress leader in Jammu, highlighting the detention of NPP leader Harsh Dev Singh for attempting to present a memorandum to the Election Commission, which is currently reviewing election preparations in the region. Ramesh had earlier expressed frustration over the lack of engagement from the Commission with the INDIA bloc parties on the matter of VVPAT slips, citing a prolonged period of disappointment.
This episode underscores the ongoing tensions between the opposition parties and the Election Commission, with concerns about the latter’s impartiality and independence taking center stage in the political discourse.
