EC's independence 'severely compromised' by PM-HM duo: Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress hit out at the Election Commission on Saturday, saying the "self-congratulation" on National Voters' Day would not obscure the fact that the poll panel as it has been functioning makes a "mockery" of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves.

The opposition party also alleged that over the past decade, the professionalism and independence of the Election Commission has been "severely compromised" by the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Even as we celebrate National Voters' Day, the ceaseless erosion of the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, in the last ten years, is a matter of grave national concern."

"Our Election Commission of India and our Parliamentary Democracy, despite widespread doubts, over the decades, turned out to be impartial, independent and ideal to emulate globally," he said.

The realisation of universal adult suffrage, extending to the grassroots levels of panchayat and urban local bodies embodies the vision of our founders, he said.

"However, complacency in upholding democratic processes can inadvertently pave the way for authoritarianism. Therefore, safeguarding the independence of our institutions is essential to preserve our democracy and uphold the constitutional principles that underpin it," Kharge said.

The National Voters' Day has been celebrated for the past 15 years to mark the inception of the Election Commission (EC) on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a republic.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "There will be a lot of self-congratulation today but that will not obscure the fact that the Election Commission as it has been functioning makes a mockery of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves."

"Today has been celebrated as National Voters Day since 2011 to mark the day on which the Election Commission came into being 75 years ago on Jan 25th, 1950," he noted.

The Election Commission is a Constitutional body and its first Chairman was the legendary Sukumar Sen whose role in establishing the foundations of our electoral democracy was crucial, Ramesh said.

"He was the sole Chief Election Commissioner for eight years. His 'Report on the First General Elections in India 1951-52' is a classic. But the preparations of the draft electoral roll for the first elections had been completed before Sen took over," he said.

The story of this historic endeavour and of the people involved in it is narrated very finely by Ornit Shani in her definitive 'How India Became Democratic', Ramesh pointed out.

There have been other distinguished CECs, among whom TN Seshan stands tallest and whose contributions were seminal, he said.

"Sadly, over the past decade, the professionalism and independence of the Election Commission has been severely compromised by the PM-HM duo," Ramesh alleged.

"Some of its decisions are now under challenge in the Supreme Court. Its stand on the concerns raised on the recent assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra has been shockingly partisan," Ramesh said.

"There will be a lot of self-congratulation today but that will not obscure the fact that the Election Commission as it has been functioning makes a mockery of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves," he said.

In another post on X, Ramesh said? "As we celebrate National Voters' Day, it is instructive to recall what the RSS weekly Organiser had written on Jan 7, 1952 in the midst of the first general election. It hoped that Jawaharlal Nehru would live to 'confess the failure of universal adult franchise in India'."

"It rebuked Nehru who, it said, 'all along lived by slogans and stunts' for not listening to others and insisting that ALL citizens over the age of 21 should have the right to vote. This was, of course, reduced to 18 in 1989," Ramesh recalled.