In first Parliament session after polls, EC in Opposition crosshairs: ‘No trust’

During the election period, the Opposition had targeted the EC over allegations of “faulty” electoral rolls and also raised questions over EVMs and the delay in turnout data, prompting the CEC Rajiv Kumar to call the result — which saw a loss of majority for BJP and significant gains for INDIA bloc — “a vindication” of the poll panel’s “impartiality”.

On Tuesday, speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Akhilesh said there were question marks on the conduct of EC. “When the model code of conduct was in force during the elections, the commission (EC) and the Government were kind to some people… If that institution will be impartial, our democracy will be healthy and appear stronger in the world,” he said.

Calling for removal of EVMs from the electoral process, he said: “I had no trust in EVMs in the past, I have no trust today as well, and will not have trust even if I win all the 80 (Lok Sabha) seats (in UP).”

“We samajwadi people will remain adamant until EVMs are removed,” he added.

Congress member K C Venugopal said EC was “a silent spectator” and was acting like a “frontal organisation” when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “clearly violated entire constitutional norms” while campaigning for the BJP.

On Monday, in Rajya Sabha, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha cited a pre-poll survey and said it had stated that “only 28 percent of respondents trust the Election Commission”. “Even the village head of Phulera in the Panchayat web series has more credibility than the Election Commission. We all should think about it,” Jha said.

TMC member Kalyan Banerjee, too, in his remarks on Tuesday, targeted the poll panel.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the EC and the INDIA bloc had also exchanged a series of letters, with Opposition leaders seeking a meeting on EVMs and calling for 100 per cent counting of VVPAT. On April 26, the Supreme Court rejected the pleas seeking 100% cross-verification of EVM data with VVPAT records.