ECI stands thoroughly exposed for incompetence, partisanship: Congress

The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI) saying it stood "thoroughly exposed" not only for its incompetence but also for its blatant partisanship.

The Congress' reply came after chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday, defended the Bihar special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations of systematic vote theft.

The Congress also termed as "laughable" the claims made by the EC that it makes no distinction between the ruling party and the Opposition.

Soon after CEC and the two election commissioners addressed a press conference over the Congress' charges, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Today’s Press Conference also came three days after the Supreme Court had rejected every single one of the arguments made by the ECI to prevent the publication of the 65 lakh deleted voters during the Bihar SIR."

He asked whether the poll body will implement the Supreme Court's August 14 orders in letter and spirit.

"Today, a short while after Shri Rahul Gandhi launched the INDIA janbandhan's Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, the CEC and his two ECs began by saying they make no distinction between the ruling party and the opposition.

"This is laughable, to put it very mildly, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary. Notably, the CEC answered none of the pointed questions raised by Shri Rahul Gandhi meaningfully," Ramesh said in a post on X.

On the ECI's demand that Rahul Gandhi give a declaration under oath within seven days on his allegations of vote chori or his claims would be considered invalid, Ramesh said, "As far as the CEC’s threats to Rahul Gandhi are concerned, all that needs to be said is that the LoP in the Lok Sabha had simply stated facts revealed by the ECI’s own data. The ECI stands thoroughly exposed not only for its incompetence but also for its blatant partisanship."