India elections: EC pulls up Congress’ Kharge for ‘obstructing’ Lok Sabha elections through ‘baseless allegations’

“Baseless allegations regarding release of voter turnout data in middle of ongoing polls are designed to create confusion, misdirection and impediments in the conduct of free and fair polls. Utterances can have negative impact on voters’ participation and demoralize the large election machinery across states,” news agency ANI quoted EC as saying.

“The pattern in series of past, present irresponsible statements from the Congress party is disconcerting,” the commission said.

The Opposition led by INDIA bloc of parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (M) wrote to the poll panel separately over the alleged ‘delay’ in releasing voter turnout numbers after the first two phases.

The EC said that the letter was ‘highly undersirable’. The EC said that these allegations were insinuations and innuendos.”(The allegations) asserts no lapse or deviation in collection and dissemination of voter turnout data,” the EC said.The EC further refuted any delay in giving turnout data and said that the updated Turnout data has been always higher than poll day. The commission also provided factual matrix from 2019 general election onwards. “Wwith all facts in place, Congress President is attempting to push a biased narrative,” the EC has opined.

In addition, the EC also rejected all charges of mismanagement and delay in release of turnout data. “Kharge’s allegations are unwarranted, without facts and reflective of a biased and deliberate attempt to spread confusion,” EC said.

The EC officially shared the turnout figure for the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls on April 30. According to EC figures, a voter turnout of 66.14 per cent was recorded in phase one and 66.71 per cent in phase two of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

For the third phase of voting that took place on Tuesday, the EC’s voter turnout app on Wednesday showed that 65.55 per cent voting had occurred.