Eknath Shinde accused the opposition of "double standards" over its criticism of the ECI, noting their electoral wins in several states. This comes as the INDIA bloc plans a march against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.
Shinde Accuses Opposition of 'Double Standards'
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday accused the opposition of adopting “double standards” in its criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), ahead of the INDIA bloc’s scheduled march in Delhi on October 6 against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition has planned the march to raise concerns over the electoral process and alleged irregularities in voter data.
Shinde, however, pointed out that the matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court and questioned the basis of the opposition’s differing allegations regarding changes in voter numbers. He said, “The matter is currently before the Supreme Court. After the Lok Sabha elections, this same opposition staged protests asking how voter numbers had increased, and now they are asking how voter numbers have decreased; they are engaging in double standards. If there is a mistake or a flaw in the process, it certainly ought to be rectified; however, they remain silent when they win but hurl abuse at the Election Commission when they lose.”
Shinde also cited the opposition’s electoral victories in several states under the tenure of the present Election Commission to question its criticism of the poll body. He referred to Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where opposition parties have formed governments or secured electoral victories, and contrasted this with the opposition’s demand for action against governments in West Bengal and Bihar. He further said, “The opposition has actually won in Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu under the tenure of this very Election Commission. Now they are demanding the dismissal of governments in West Bengal and Bihar, so, will they also have the governments in those four states dismissed?”
Supreme Court Addresses Petition Against CEC
This comes after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a nationwide protest programme, saying INDIA bloc leaders would hold a "Save Democracy March" at the district level from October 2 to October 8.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, used for enrolling new voters during SIR. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let's be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified.”
The Supreme Court also refused to pass an ex-parte interim order seeking suspension of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and issued notices to the Centre, ECI, Kumar and other officials. The petition before the court alleges that 14 crucial SIR-related decisions were taken in the name of the Election Commission despite objections allegedly recorded by the other two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The plea also raises questions over the alteration of Form 6 and alleged changes to electoral-roll systems without the participation or approval of the other Commissioners. The court said it would first examine the allegations after receiving responses from the respondents. CJI Kant further observed that if any violation of the statutory framework was established, the court could undo the decision. (ANI)
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