EC rejects 'slowdown' charge, Congress hits back

Hitting back at the Election Commission after it dismissed allegations about slowing down the updating of Haryana election results, the Congress on Tuesday said the poll watchdog's reply degrades the conversational level to an 'unacceptable low' and 'misrepresents crucial facts' in a vein similar to that done by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh's strongly-worded response to the Commission came after the poll authority told him that there was nothing on record to substantiate his 'ill-founded allegation' of a slowdown in updating of Haryana poll results.

The poll panel also dubbed his allegations as an attempt to 'surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and uncorroborated mala fide narratives'.

In a letter responding to the EC, Ramesh said, 'We have received your response and are appalled at the defensive tone and tenor taken in the letter.'

'Not only is the reply completely hostile in nature, it degrades the conversational level to an unacceptable low, which itself is surprising for a body supposed to be neutral and impartial and it misrepresents crucial facts in a vein similar to that done by the ruling party,' he said.

Ramesh said it is an undeniable fact and one that can be established with the ECI's own data, that at the time of the representation for several seats, the pages were displaying rounds at 3/4.

This was an observation made independently by numerous individuals both on television and on social media, he said.

'Yet the ECI acts as if it is the Congress is spreading a malicious narrative. We have documented all our complaints to the ECI, and have catalogued the ECI's action on them. When we make complaints, we do so on the basis of credible information received or data,' he said.

'We annex several documents to support our claims and in the hearings granted present those for scrutiny. The ECI's own published data attests that they have acted on the bulk of our complaints thereby implying that we were not unreasonable or unfair in our prayers to the ECI,' he said.

Furthermore, by the warped logic of the reply, no complaint can ever be raised before the ECI lest the poll panel turn its hostile fury and name and shame the complainant, Ramesh said.

The ECI makes a reference to a previous complaint to try and diminish the current concern, he said.

'Not only is this misguided but the ECI does not cover itself in glory when it takes such a line. For the sake of the ECI's reputation, we will leave it at that,' the Congress general secretary said.

'The CEC must take a call if he stands by such inappropriate words. For the sake of neutrality and a level playing field, which I may remind you is your constitutional duty, we hope that such a reply to any political party, and especially the principal opposition party in Parliament, is not repeated,' Ramesh said.

Earlier in the day, the Congress raised with the EC the issue of an 'unexplained slowdown' in updating of results of the Haryana elections on the poll watchdog's website and urged it to direct officials to update accurate figures so that 'false news and malicious narratives' can be countered immediately.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, Ramesh said over the last two hours between 9 and 11 am there has been an 'unexplained slowdown' in updating results on the ECI's website.

'As you can imagine this allows bad faith actors to spin narratives that undermine the process. You can see examples of it already playing out on social media,' Ramesh said in his letter.

'Our fear is also that such narratives can then be used by these mala fide actors to influence processes where counting is still underway i.e. in most of the counting centres,' he said.

'We request you to issue immediate directions to your officials to update the website with true and accurate figures so that false news and malicious narratives can be countered immediately,' Ramesh said.

In its response, the poll authority said counting of votes is being carried out according to Rule 60 of Conduct of Election Rules at the designated counting centres and by the designated authorities following statutory and regulatory regime.

The EC said the entire counting process in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir is unfolding in the presence of candidates, observers and micro-observers as per rules.

'There is nothing on record to substantiate your ill-founded allegation of slowdown in updating of results. Your memorandum also does not bring out any contrary facts as to the delay at any of the constituencies in Haryana or J-K,' it told Ramesh.

The BJP scored a hat-trick win with its biggest tally in Haryana and the National Conference-Congress combine was set to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, voters in both places giving the victors a decisive edge as counting day progressed with many a surprise on Tuesday.

• Battle for J-K, Haryana: LEADS/RESULTS