Poll Body Rejects Congress Allegations On Haryana Outcome, Terms It Misplaced, Devoid Of Facts

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday rejected Congress allegations about any irregularities in Haryana elections as baseless, misplaced, and devoid of facts.

“Commission writes to Congress party to refrain from baseless allegations election after election and has called out the party for raising smoke of ‘generic’ doubts and urged it to take firm and concrete steps to curb such a tendency,” the Poll Body said.

ECI has further urged Congress that irresponsible allegations at sensitive junctures like polling and counting days can lead to public unrest, turbulence, and chaos. Citing 5 specific cases in last one year, ECI asks the national party with long-standing experience to exercise due diligence and refrain from habitual attacks on electoral operations, without any evidence.

Poll body informed that after a thorough re-verification by Returning officers of all the 26 Assembly Constituencies under question, ECI wrote to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that each step in electoral process in Haryana was flawless and done under the watch of Congress candidates or agents.

Response from ECI officials comprises 1,642 pages of evidence that authorised representatives of Congress candidates were present at all stages including placing the battery at time of Commissioning and continuously for 7-8 days thereafter till counting was over.

Chief Electoral Officer Haryana also rejects all the complaints by Congress party about irregularity in the assembly election.

Rubbishing the completely extraneous talk about status of battery display in EVM, ECI clarified that battery voltage and capacity have no relevance or connection whatsoever for EVMs vote count operations and integrity.

“The display of the status of battery on Control Unit is solely a feature to assist technical teams in monitoring power levels, ensuring that device functions smoothly throughout polling operations. Any insinuation that battery levels affect voting outcomes is preposterous,” it said.

Even then, ECI has issued a detailed FAQ on EVM battery, on its website, to address any bonafide queries including different types of battery cells used worldwide, use of alkaline cells in EVMs battery, difference of EVM Power pack from mobile phone battery, functioning of EVM independent of operating voltage and functioning of EVM at different output voltages and Why EVM Power pack status is shown as 99 per cent in some CUs even after full day use in poll, etc.

ECI has strongly cautioned against making false generalisations and irresponsible allegations against EVMs which have time and again withstood the scrutiny in judicial forums and formed the well-acclaimed backbone of India’s large voting system through which diverse political parties have come to power in various elections.

The commission pointed to instances of Congress party picking on ordinary aspects of EVM functioning or electoral process and positioning them as new questions to be answered.

ECI has quoted gist of 42 judgements by Constitutional Courts which after examining various materials on record and conveyed their faith in the EVMs.