The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday downplayed a request by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, fearing the BJP and its allies would use the extra days to influence voters ahead of the June 4 vote counting for the Lok Sabha elections. This was done by the ECI’s senior principal secretary, Narendra N Butolia, in his letter to Ramesh, in which he explained the seriousness of the claim and the interferences it might have on the counting process.
Butolia, in his letter, noted, “Your allegation that attempts have been made to influence the District Magistrates of about 150 Parliamentary Constituencies who are also the ROs/DEOs (Returning Officers/District Election Officers) directly impinges on the integrity of the counting process slated for tomorrow You have sought additional time to file your petition by claiming undue influence pursuant to the Commission’s missive dated 2nd June 2024.”
It was written in response to signals made by Jairam Ramesh himself, who had penned a letter only hours before. During the Sunday hearing of the ECI, Ramesh had explained that his party colleagues had elaborated on their worries to the commission. He said, “We said that our concern is vigilante and that we can no longer place serving officers in danger by painting bulls’ eyes on their backs,” hence requesting one more week to assemble sufficient proof.
Ramesh clarified that he was not pointing fingers at ECI while posting the remarks on the social media site X on Saturday, but he just wanted to alert others about possible other bad practices. He reiterated the fact that the ruling regime’s characters have well-documented and high-handed behaviour manifested in misuse and even intimidating official machinery.
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