Avoid sowing doubt sans evidence, ECI tells Congress on poll irregularities

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has dismissed as “baseless” the Indian National Congress’ allegations challenging the outcome of the Haryana assembly elections, which saw the BJP secure a historic third consecutive win.
In a strong response to Congress’ allegations about alleged wrongdoing in certain electoral processes, the ECI on Tuesday said the Congress has once again cast a “smoke of a generic doubt” over the electoral process in a manner similar to its past actions.
The ECI’s rebuttal came in response to a series of grievances submitted by the Congress, which raised suspicions regarding the handling of electronic voting machines (EVMs) across 26 of the total 90 assembly constituencies. Among the Congress’ allegations were concerns about tampering, citing EVMs showing a 99% battery status during the counting process, which the Congress argued could indicate possible manipulation. The party had also accused the ECI of deliberately slowing down the counting process and questioned the transparency and security of EVM handling.
“The commission categorically rejects all baseless allegations and apprehensions conveyed by Indian National Congress regarding all aspects of the electoral process in the recently concluded election to the state assembly of Haryana,” the ECI said in an eight-page letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
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“The commission would also like to recall that, seen in retrospect, the INC is persistently raising unfounded doubts on the core aspects of Indian electoral process, with a sort of discernable pattern of timelines and approach,” it mentioned.
The ECI urged the Congress to adopt a more constructive approach, given its historic standing, and avoid sowing doubt without evidence. The ECI argued that such “frivolous and unfounded doubts” risk disrupting crucial phases of the election, especially as public and political anxieties peak around polling and counting.
Addressing specific claims about the EVM battery levels, the ECI noted that it typically refrains from responding to constituency-specific grievances but emphasised its duty to protect the integrity of the decentralised electoral scheme. It criticised Congress for circulating “false narratives without any evidence” close to election day, a practice the ECI claimed could dangerously inflame public sentiment.
“It is needless to remind that such frivolous and unfounded doubts have the potential of creating turbulence when crucial steps like polling and counting are in live play, a time when both public and political parties’ anxiousness is peaking. The communications carrying baseless allegations were often widely publicised by INC even before receipt of any formal letter in the ECI and mostly coinciding with peak of electoral cycle i.e., near to or on poll day or counting day,” said the ECI.
The ECI also highlighted instances of Congress’s “unsubstantiated” allegations circulated through social media, such as a claim on June 2, 2024, just two days before the counting day of last Lok Sabha election, that the “outgoing home minister” was pressuring district magistrates. “Despite the request of ECI to provide details of such 150 DMs along with factual matrix/ basis, it was never provided,” the ECI said.
In its letter, the ECI underscored that Congress’ recent actions lacked any evidence of statutory irregularities, stressing that each candidate’s consent to proceed through each election stage is recorded. “Once again, the Congress has raised the smoke of a ‘generic’ doubt about the credibility of an entire electoral outcome, exactly as it has done in the recent past… This is least expected of a national political party,” the ECI stated.
The ECI urged the Congress to take concrete steps to demonstrate responsible conduct, aligning with the party’s long legacy.