EC dubs Kharge letter on turnout 'attempt to push biased narrative'
Election Commission takes strong exception to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's letter over voter turnout, saying it lacked facts and was unwarranted
The Election Commission on Friday strongly objected to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to opposition leaders over the voter turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha election as an attempt to "push a biased narrative".
In a five-page response with annexures, the poll panel rejected charges of mismanagement and delay in the release of polling data and described Kharge's charges as "unwarranted", "without facts" and "reflective of a biased and deliberate attempt to spread confusion".
Kharge challenged
The Commission condemned Kharge's statement in which he wondered whether the delay in releasing voter data was an "attempt to doctor the final results".
It said it found Kharge's letter, released to the public amidst the ongoing electoral process, "highly undesirable" and designed to create confusion, misdirection and impediment to the conduct of a free and fair election.
EC’s defence
"Through innuendos and insinuations, the contents of the post tend to create disharmony in respect of the delicate space of election management, can plant doubts in the minds of voters and political parties and potentially created an anarchic situation, when you said 'could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?' which this Commission hopes you do not have any intention of," the EC said in its communication.