ELECTION COMMISSION HAS BECOME A PUPPET OF GOVT: CONG MP AJAY MAKEN

Congress Rajya Sabha member Ajay Maken on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission has “become a puppet of the government” and questioned how democracy can survive in the absence of a level playing field, transparency and credibility of the electoral process.

- TDG NETWORK

Initiating a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, Maken said that while India proudly claims to be the mother of democracy, the three fundamental conditions for a fair election — level playing field, transparency, and credibility — have been systematically undermined.

Accusing the Election Commission (EC) of refusing to provide machine-readable electoral rolls, hiding IP addresses and destroying evidence within 45 days, Maken said, “Today, the Election Commission has become a puppet of the government”.

The EC’s job is to win ‘trust’, but today its job has become to create ‘suspicion’, he added, citing examples of how voter turnout figures increased in Haryana assembly elections on the day of result announcement from the figures put out two days earlier.

He said the commission remained silent when asked about the origin of extra votes and assembly and booth-wise data.