The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday hit back at the AAP over party leader Arvind Kejriwal’s repeated allegations that chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar was favouring the BJP.
In a post on X, the EC said: “The 3-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in Delhi Elections, as if it is a single member body & decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity, stoically & not to be swayed by such insinuations.”
A day ahead of the Delhi elections, the AAP publicised video footage of alleged violations of the poll code by the BJP across the city. Delhi chief minister Atishi claimed that outsiders brought by Ramesh Bidhuri, her BJP rival from from Kalkaji seat, were intimidating voters in slums who had been voting for the AAP.
“The EC is filing FIRs against those who complain. The police are brutally assaulting those reporting violations of the model code of conduct. Today, India’s democracy is in Rajiv Kumar’s hands,” Atishi added.
Kejriwal and Atishi met the poll panel on Tuesday and raised three main issues — violence allegedly in connivance with the police, voter suppression and forcible inking of voters’ fingers through intimidation or bribery.
“ECI reiterates that all election officials should continue to work impartially and any partisan conduct disturbing level playing field will be unpardonable,” the EC posted on X after the meeting.
