New Delhi: May 7 (UNI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday, in a letter to the leaders of INDIA block parties, while expressing concern over the 'discrepancies in the voting data' released by the Election Commission of India, that the ‘credibility of the constitutional body was at an all-time low’.
“It is in the public domain how the ECI, perhaps for the first time in history, delayed the release of the final voting percentages of the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha elections,” Kharge wrote.
Kharge urged the leaders that, in the national interest, they should collectively question the ECI on the delay in releasing the voter turnout data for the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha election.
In his letter, Kharge asked the ECI, "Why was there a near increase of 5.5% in the final voter turnout from the date of the conclusion of voting (at 7 p.m. on April 19, 2024) to the delayed release of voter turnout data (on April 30, 2024)?" And a near increase of more than 5.74% in the final voter turnout from the date of the conclusion of voting (at 7 p.m. on April 26, 2024) to the delayed release of data (on April 30, 2024) for the second phase?”
He said that such facts only force the alliance to ask a question: "Could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?"
He said that it was clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were visibly flustered and frustrated by the voting trends and their receding electoral fortunes in the first two phases.
"The entire nation knows that an autocratic regime, drunk with power, can go to any extent to stay in the chair," he wrote.
He urged the INDIA Alliance leaders to collectively, unitedly, and unequivocally raise their voices against such discrepancies, as the bloc’s main objective was to protect the culture of a vibrant democracy and the Constitution of the country.
“Let us ensure the independence of the Election Commission of India and make it accountable,” Kharge said in his letter.
