New Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday alleged that the Congress and other constituents of the ‘India’ alliance and some civil society groups were trying to undermine the credibility of India’s electoral process. The BJP also urged the Election Commission to prevent any attempt to cause violence and disturbance during the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections on June 4.
The BJP delegation, including Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, urged the Election Commission to take cognizance of the “systematic efforts” being made to undermine the credibility of the process and initiate strict action against those responsible. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission in this regard. Goyal told reporters after meeting the commission officials that their efforts against India’s “very strong” electoral process are a direct attack on the country’s democratic institutions and pose a threat to public order and confidence in the electoral system.
He said, “We had to meet the Election Commission today in view of the repeated attempts by a section of some political parties like the Congress and its allies of the ‘India’ alliance and some motivated civil society groups and NGOs to do their best to undermine the credibility of India’s electoral process.” The BJP delegation urged the Election Commission to increase monitoring and security measures to prevent “any attempt of violence or disturbance” during the counting of votes.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of leaders of the opposition ‘India’ alliance met the full bench of the Election Commission and urged to ensure compliance of all guidelines during the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections on June 4. These guidelines also include announcing the results of postal ballots before the results of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi was also among the leaders who met the commission.
Union Minister Goyal said, “I think the mandate given by the people of India in 2014 and 2019 and the possible mandate of the 2024 general elections to be held on June 4 have disturbed the opposition parties and some NGOs, so-called civil society groups, who cannot accept a popular leader of the people who has worked for the welfare of 1.4 billion Indians. ” Exit polls released on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for the third consecutive time, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to get a huge majority in the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress on Sunday called the exit polls (post-poll surveys) ‘fake’ and said that it is a “deliberate effort” to justify rigging in the elections and a part of the “psychological game” being played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower the morale of the workers of the ‘India’ alliance. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi called the exit polls “Modi Media Poll”.
Goyal said the BJP delegation urged the Election Commission to ensure that every official involved in the counting process is fully aware of the “minutest details” of the process and follows all the counting protocols diligently so that there is no deviation of any kind.
He said the delegation also urged the Election Commission to “ensure the security of the electoral process during the counting of votes and declaration of results, including by enhancing surveillance and security measures to prevent any attempt at violence or disturbance.” Goyal said the BJP delegation asked the Election Commission to take cognizance of “systematic efforts” being made to undermine the credibility of the electoral process and take strict action against those responsible. He said, “We also urged the Election Commission to issue a public statement reaffirming the credibility of the electoral process and warning against any attempt to disrupt the democratic process.”