BJP Defending EC Whenever Rahul Questions It, Increases Mistrust, Says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday that BJP leaders routinely defending the Election Commission of India whenever Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questions the EC’s functioning, has increased “mistrust” about the poll panel.

Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Election Commission of India over alleged “vote chori”, Pawar said Gandhi and other Opposition leaders have raised key issues about the ECI’s functioning.

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“When Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition (in the Lok Sabha), raised the issue in Parliament, the institution concerned should have taken note of it. But what is happening is that whenever Rahul Gandhi raises questions and criticises the ECI, the ECI does not answer, but it is the BJP and its leaders who respond,” Sharad Pawar told media persons.

“What is happening today is that Rahul Gandhi’s criticisms regarding the Election Commission are not being answered by the Commission itself, but by BJP leaders. This issue is not about the BJP. This issue is related to the Election Commission and its functioning. But the EC tends to remain on the sidelines, while Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his colleagues give answers. This means that they are helping to increase the mistrust in the Election Commission. This is not good,” Sharad Pawar said.

Pawar said that the way the Special Voter Verification (SIR) is being implemented in Bihar has also raised questions about the Election Commission.

“Either steps taken by the Election Commission of India regarding the SIR should be based on reality, or it needs to be studied in depth. Including or deleting names in the voters’ lists is creating distrust in the public regarding the Election Commission. This should be avoided. This trust has never been shaken to date. It is necessary for the Election Commission to take note that its results are not good,” Sharad Pawar said.

Earlier, Pawar had asked the EC to take steps to ensure public confidence in its functioning.

“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been pointing out discrepancies in the electoral rolls by citing examples of constituencies. The EC has to ensure that the public trusts the commission, but it has not taken that stand. If the EC takes a stand that hampers public trust in the election process, then I do not know how many years the country will tolerate this,” Pawar said.

Sharad Pawar said that his party candidate had been elected to the Maharashtra state assembly for the last 25 years, and in the neighbouring constituency, a candidate had been elected five times, but both of them lost by merely 1,906 votes. “Their margin of loss was the same, and so it raises a doubt, but I do not have any evidence,” Sharad Pawar said.

Pawar said that around 300 Opposition MPs, including him, had taken to the streets to protest some EC decisions. “We took out a march during the previous parliamentary session to protest against the EC. One should not ignore it when 300 MPs take to the streets. Our objective was to ensure that the public’s approach to the EC should change. They set a condition of meeting only five representatives, which was not proper. So the meeting could not take place,” Pawar said.