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Congress Accuses Election Commission of Voter Suppression

On Friday, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh launched a strong critique against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of widespread voter suppression and acting under the influence of the central government. He questioned the rationale behind the request for Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation following the president's decision on July 21. Ramesh expressed concern over the state of democracy, stating that the Election Commission has failed to address allegations of 'vote theft' while the Chief Election Commissioner is allegedly intimidating opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, resulting in the disenfranchisement of 6.5 million voters.

In a conversation with a news media outlet, Ramesh raised doubts about the relevance of parliamentary proceedings in a scenario where democracy and the constitution are under threat. He criticized the government for deliberately removing voters' names from the electoral rolls through a Special Intensive Review (SIR) campaign targeting Dalits and OBCs. He remarked, 'This is not an Election Commission; it is a 'Thief Commission.' The SIR process is merely about removing voters' names. Prime Minister Modi and the Home Minister have instructed the Election Commission to adopt this approach because they are aware that Dalits and backward classes will vote for the India Alliance, not the BJP. They aim to steal votes as it is their only path to victory.'

Meanwhile, another Congress leader, K.C. Venugopal, expressed concerns regarding voter list issues in Bihar, expressing confidence that the Supreme Court would deliver justice. Speaking to a news media outlet, Venugopal noted that during a campaign led by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar, people presented 'solid evidence' of genuine voters' names being removed from the voter list. He stated, 'I believe the Supreme Court will provide justice to Bihar. This is a common perception. There are real issues related to the SIR in Bihar. Rahul and Tejashwi are traveling in Bihar, and people are approaching them with concrete evidence of the removals. We can see how many genuine voters have been disenfranchised. We hope for justice from the Supreme Court.'

In contrast, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar refuted all recent claims of 'vote theft' made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during a press conference held on August 17 in the national capital.