Four days before the results for the Lok Sabha elections are declared, the Congress party seems to have already conceded defeat. Just when the last phase of voting for the last phase of the elections ended, and before the exit poll results are out, the Congress President Rahul Gandhi posted a tweet, blaming the Election Commission for the impending defeat of the Congress party.
From Electoral Bonds & EVMs to manipulating the election schedule, NaMo TV, “Modi’s Army” & now the drama in Kedarnath; the Election Commission’s capitulation before Mr Modi & his gang is obvious to all Indians.
The EC used to be feared & respected. Not anymore.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 19, 2019
He accused the Election Commission of “capitulation before Mr Modi & his gang”, which is obvious to all. He gave a long list of alleged concessions given by the EC to Mo, which included electoral bonds, EVMs, alleged manipulation of election schedule, NaMo TV, “Modi’s Army” and “drama in Kedarnath”.
He tweeted that Election Commission used to be feared & respected, but not anymore. The Congress party has been alleging EVM manipulations by BJP for a long time, despite the fact that BJP has lost several assembly elections in the last 5 years. Electoral bonds provide a way for donation of white money to political parties, and it is available for all parties.
The allegation of “manipulating the election schedule” is the strangest charge made by Rahul Gandhi, as it was not made by the Congress party earlier. Moreover, the schedule was declared by the Commission when the elections were announced, and no change has been made to the same after that. So, it is not clear what is the allegation of Rahul Gandhi exactly in this regard.
Our charge had been that the EC was sleeping on the job. Now, we can go further and say that the EC completely surrendered its independence and authority. Shame!
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 19, 2019
Not to be left behind, Congress leader P Chidambaram also joined Rahul Gandhi in attacking the constitutional body, and alleged that the EC has completely surrendered its independence and authority. He said that the visit of PM Modi’s visit to Kedarnath yesterday “is an unacceptable use of religion and religious symbols to influence the voting”.