‘Frivolous doubts’: EC hits out at Congress on Haryana EVMs | India News

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday categorically rejected all allegations and apprehensions raised by Congress regarding the electoral process and electronic voting machines (EVMs) deployed in the recent Haryana polls, saying there is no evidence whatsoever of any statutory electoral step being compromised. It also said records establish that Congress candidates had found nothing during the counting process and had, at each stage, given their consent to move ahead.
In its response to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, marked by firmness, EC emphasised that frivolous and unfounded doubts have the potential of creating turbulence, public unrest and chaos at a time when live polling and counting cause anxieties of the public and political parties to peak.
The poll body recalled the allegations made by Congress to raise “unfounded” doubts about the fairness of the election process — from EVMs deployed for elections in South Africa being used in 2023 Karnataka polls, voter turnout and home minister Amit Shah’s calling up of 150 district collectors ahead of counting in 2024 LS polls to questions raised on EVM’s battery status and the slow pace of counting in Haryana polls.
It slammed Congress for once again fanning “generic” doubts about the credibility of the entire electoral outcome in Haryana.
“A noticeable and documented trend of picking up any ordinary aspect of the EVM system for projecting it as a ‘new, fresh doubt’ at national level is becoming evident, while the process-related grievances are necessarily relatable to specific polling stations,” said EC.
Chiding Congress for faulting the electoral processes in the face of adverse results, EC said “the persistence of this approach is disconcerting when it emanates from a reputed national political party of historic standing and…many years of experience in the electoral field…This is least expected of a national political party,” EC wrote in its 1,600-page response to the representations received from the party dated Oct 9, 10, 11 and 14. The response has annexures comprising the returning officers’ detailed response to each complaint filed by Congress candidates in 26 constituencies.
While citing repeated court verdicts upholding the reliability of EVMs, EC urged Congress to amend its approach and set an example for others to conduct themselves at sensitive electoral stages so as to “avoid possibilities of precipitation of public unrest and chaos”.
Congress’ representations to EC following the Haryana results had sought clarity on display of 99% battery status on EVM control units (CUs) during counting across 26 Haryana constituencies, and also alleged a “deliberate slowdown” in pace of counting and uploading of trends on EC website.
EC had forwarded the representations received from all 26 constituencies to the respective ROs. Based on the RO responses, the Haryana chief electoral officer (CEO) reverted to the EC on Tuesday, confirming that no evidence of wrongdoing in the electoral process was found and that there was continuous participation of Congress candidates or their agents in all electoral processes, with signed minutes for 10-12 stages. As many as 19 complaints did not mention at what point of time the battery was showing 99% life, how it affected the results and if a complaint was made before declaration of results.
“All complaints are too general, kind of one pager, as if candidates filed these under some ‘common’ direction,” stated the CEO’s report to EC.
EC told Kharge his party’s grievances about the display of battery status “apparently flow from a lack of clarity and understanding of the exact implications of display on the control unit”. “Erroneously, the display of 99% as battery status is being invoked to suggest a replacement of CU surreptitiously – a total impossibility,” the poll body pointed out and added that a relationship between display of battery status on the CU and voting count is “outside the basic design of EVM”.
EC on Tuesday also uploaded frequently asked questions on power packs on EVM system on its website.