Surprised EC ignored complaints raised by Opposition: Kharge

Congress stands for the strength and independence of the poll panel, says Mallikarjun Kharge, in a letter to the Election Commission

Media associations have written to the Chief Election Commissioner demanding that press conferences be held after each phase of voting and that the entire poll data, including “absolute number” of votes polled in each phase and percentage of voting, be released by next day.

In a joint letter, the Press Club of India, the Indian Women Press Corp, the Press Association, the Foreign Correspondent Club, and the Delhi Union of Journalists expressed dismay at the Election Commission (EC) not holding a single press conference even after the completion of three phases of voting. “Till 2019, holding a press conference after voting in each phase was the normal practice. India, being one of the largest democracies in the world..., the citizens have every right to know what has happened on the voting day,” the letter said.

Expressing surprise that the EC had not been releasing the “absolute number of votes polled”, the letter said this was not the case in the past elections. The developments had led to apprehension in the minds of people about the fairness of the election, it said.

The letter on one hand says the EC respects citizen’s rights to ask questions and on the other hand threatens citizens in the form of an advise to exercise caution

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE