Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday wrote a letter to leaders of INDIA bloc parties on the day of third phase of voting for 2024 Lok Sabha elections asserting that the “credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI)” was at an all-time low, and also flagged alleged discrepancies in the voting data released by the poll panel.
Kharge also questioned the delay in the release of the final voting percentages for the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha elections, suggesting that such instances raise doubts about the quality of data released by the Election Commission.
In his letter to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders, Kharge said, “2024 Lok Sabha elections is the fight to save democracy and the Constitution of India.”
Pointing out the recent developments, he said, “The credibility of the ECI is at an all time low. It is in public domain on how the ECI, perhaps for the first time in history, delayed the release of the final voting percentages of the First and Second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.”
He further said that additionally, it is extremely disconcerting to know, through various media reports that even the final registered voters list from the third phase onwards is also not released.
“All these developments cast a dark shadow on the functioning of the EC – an institution built with the collective efforts of the Indian State and its people,” the Congress.leader, who is also the Leader.of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.
Highlighting the delay by the poll body to release the voting data, Kharge said that the “inordinate delay” in the release of the final voting percentages for the first and second phases raises serious doubts on the quality of data.
“In my electoral life of 52 years, I have never witnessed such a high increment of voting percentages, in the final published data, that we now assume came from the later hours of voting on the polling days,” he said.
The Election Commission released the final voter turnout data for the first two phases of elections on April 30, 11 days after the first phase of polling and four days after the second phase.
Initially, around 60 per cent of polling was recorded in the first phase on April 19 and 60.96 per cent in the second phase on April 26.
However, on April 30, the Commission final report said 66.14 per cent turnout was recorded for the first phase and 66.71 per cent for the second phase.
“Apart from the delay, the voter turnout data released by the commission does not mention crucial yet related figures, such as the votes polled in each parliamentary constituency and in the respective assembly constituencies? If the voter turnout data was published within 24 hours of voting along with the crucial figures, then we would have known if the increase (of five per cent) had been witnessed across constituencies? Or only in constituencies where the ruling regime had not performed well in the 2019 elections?” Kharge wrote in his letter.
The Congress leader taking a swipe at the poll panel said that reports of the final registered voters list from the third phase onwards not being released was “extremely disconcerting”.
“Will the ECI be made answerable for this glaring mismanagement in basics in conducting the elections?” he asked.
Targeting the Prime Minister, Kharge said, “Narendra Modi and the BJP were visibly flustered and frustrated by the voting trends and their receding electoral fortunes in the first two phases.
“The entire nation knows that an autocratic regime, drunk with power, can go to any extent to stay in the chair,” he said.
The Congress chief urged the INDIA bloc partners to “unitedly and unequivocally” raise its voice against discrepancies in voting data.
“Let us ensure the independence of the Election Commission of India and make it accountable,” he said in his letter.
“As the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), it should be our collective endeavour to safeguard democracy and protect the independent functioning of the ECI. All the aforementioned facts force us to ask a question — could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?” he asked.
Several opposition parties have raised questions on the delay in releasing the polling data by the EC.