In a significant development with far reaching ramifications, the Congress, the principal Opposition in the country has decided to take on the Election Commission, by raising key questions regarding the entire poll process. The party’s Working Committee on Friday, referred to the “flawed” functioning of the body and sought answers on the outcome in both Haryana and Maharashtra, alleging that there were multiple malpractices which have been overlooked.
The unfortunate situation has arisen because the Election Commission, for reasons best known to it, has not made any attempts to clarify the doubts expressed by candidates and parties over a number of issues ranging from the 99% battery charge of EVMs, to manipulated voters’ list and so on.
Things would have been far more comfortable, had the Election Commission cleared the air, thus putting to rest all speculation over the alleged tampering of EVMs in select constituencies as to favour one particular party. The EC should understand that silence was not an option, and it was its paramount responsibility to put the record straight since the protests by any participant in the electoral process would impact its overall credibility.
It is true that within the Congress also there were divergent views on the subject. While one section insisted that the EVMs were at fault, there were some who believed that the entire poll process needed to be closely scrutinized. There was also a demand for holding elections through the ballot papers, which however, was not accepted.
Three former Chief Election Commissioners on Friday night were unanimous regarding the EVMs and maintained that they could not be tampered with, and the allegations were baseless since several courts which had gone into the matter had found no wrongdoing at all. However, the three—Navin Chawla, S.Y. Quraishi and O.P. Rawat, while appearing on a primetime TV show, stated that the present Election Commission should speak out and clarify things and address queries that have been raised regarding the poll body.
The categorical defence of the EVMs by the former CECs was also perhaps necessitated by their compulsion to defend the Commission, which they had headed at different times. Had they not denied the tampering charge, it could have been assumed by some in the political circles that this was so because they were unaware of what could be done with the EVMs, whose compatibility with the VVPATs and other equipment connected with it has been questioned by experts.
The three CECs are all men of stature and have tremendous credibility. However, they did not endorse any move to either go back to the ballot boxes or add substance to the charge of manipulation of the EVMs. They would obviously have inside information on a lot of things and would know what they are talking about.
The Congress decision to go after the Election Commission is obviously an attempt to justify their poll defeat in the recent polls and also seek greater transparency in the entire process. Questions have been raised about the EC, since both while the Haryana elections were on and also during the recent Assembly polls, the body intervened and changed the polling dates on grounds which they should have been aware of earlier as well, and much before they announced the election schedule. The EC has also been accused of being partisan to the ruling dispensation while coming down heavily on the Opposition parties on numerous occasions. During the recent polls, when the helicopters of some leaders were not allowed to fly because the Prime Minister’s aircraft was in the vicinity, several leaders such as Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the EC should frame rules for campaigning. His view was that in elections, every party and its leaders should get a level playing field and though the PM’s security was paramount, it should not come in the way of campaigning by others, since he was also doing the same exercise for his own candidates. The security is important and until the EC gives out some guidelines on the matter, things would remain as they are.
The Congress is also concerned about allegations where the number of votes counted in some stations was more than the number of votes polled. Thus, a satisfactory explanation is required and there is no reason why this should be difficult.
Many ruling party leaders have stated that why would the EVMs be at fault in Maharashtra and Haryana and fine in Jharkhand and Kashmir. This defies all logic. The counter allegation is that the manipulation is done in such a manner as to influence the outcome in bigger states while allowing things to happen normally in others, so as to avoid questions being raised. This is a never-ending saga which can only be put to rest if a proper and credible explanation comes about from the poll body. Some Congress leaders have also spoken about the elections being held through ballot boxes. If there is wrongdoing, the margin of defeats through ballot boxes would be much greater, given that the Congress should first address its internal problem of strengthening the organization. The party’s adversaries will always take advantage of a weak organization of the opposing party and could get away without any questions being raised.
The short point is that raising doubts over the functioning of the Commission would create suspicion in the minds of many voters who would easily believe that the process is flawed. The EC should come forth and address the subject immediately. Between us.