In a detailed interview with media houses, Congress MP Manish Tewari expressed serious concerns about the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that it has lost the trust of a significant portion of the population.
These remarks were made amid the ongoing 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar, a 16-day march led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to highlight alleged irregularities in the voter list, which they have termed 'vote chori' or "vote theft."
Tewari proposed a fundamental change in the process for appointing the three election commissioners to restore the ECI's "lost credibility". He suggested that a new committee should be formed for their selection, comprising "The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and both Leaders of the Opposition." He believes that "If such a committee selects the 3 election commissioners, then this lost credibility will be regained."
According to Tewari, the ECI has "lost the trust of its very substantial shareholders," and "many people in this country do not trust the Election Commission today." He linked the current allegations of 'vote chori' to a pre-existing distrust, which he says "did not start with SIR. It started with EVMs and the alleged rigging." He questioned the ECI's silence on the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), citing a specific incident from the Haryana elections.
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Tewari recounted an incident where an EVM, after being used all day, locked in a strong room for three days, and then brought out, still had a 99 pc battery life. He pointed out the anomaly, stating, "Even an iPad at 100 pc at night becomes 80 pc in the morning..."
He further questioned, "To date, the Election Commission has not been able to answer that an EVM was switched on at 6 am, mock testing was done, then it ran from 8 to 6 and then was switched off. It was kept in the strong room for three days. How can it have a 99 pc battery?... So why does the Election Commission not answer this?"
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The Congress leader also raised suspicions about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar. He asserted that "There is no provision for Special Intensive Revision anywhere in the Constitution..." He found the timing of the exercise suspicious, as it is being conducted in a hurry, "two months before the Bihar elections."
Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had refuted the "vote theft" claims made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. He had issued a stern warning, stating, "An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option.) If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless."
The 'Voter Adhikar Yatra,' co-led by Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, is a 1,300 km journey across 20 districts of Bihar. The yatra aims to raise awareness among the public about alleged irregularities in the voter list. It is scheduled to culminate in Patna on September 1. The Bihar Assembly elections are anticipated to take place later this year, though the ECI has yet to announce an official date.
Also Read: Tejashwi Yadav projects himself as CM face in Bihar
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