Complaining that the Election Commission has shown “undue haste in taking action against BJP members, sometimes even in the absence of formal complaints,” the BJP Tuesday told the poll panel that “such promptness is conspicuously absent in cases involving members of other political entities”. In a complaint addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner and Commissioners, the BJP urged them to “direct the State Chief Electoral Officers/ District Election Officers/ Returning Officers and other officers involved in the election process to maintain impartiality throughout the election process” and to “take prompt and effective action against the erring election officers”. A spokesperson for the Election Commission declined comment on the BJP complaint, signed by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Vinod Tawde, Om Pathak and Sanjay Mayukh. Drawing the Commission’s attention to the “recent events of breach of Model Code of Conduct and several other electoral laws” that point to “trying and difficult times ahead,” the BJP said there is “growing frustration” among some Opposition parties who “fear a complete eclipse” in the elections and “seem to be getting more acerbic and desperate”. Stating that “language and deeds” were now being directed to hurl “personal abuses and attack regions, religions, faiths,” the complaint stated that some of “this is being allowed because the election personnel generally drawn from the state cadres are either complicit or are under grave pressure and threats of the political leadership” in some state governments. Reminding the poll panel that the “cornerstone of a robust democracy lies in the impartiality and neutrality of its electoral officers,” the BJP said, “Regrettably, in several states including West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, the conduct of these officers is biased due to pressure of their political bosses.” “Instances abound where these officers exhibit egregious partiality, turning a blind eye to social media posts or speeches flagged by the BJP while delaying or neglecting complaints filed by our party or the delay in granting permissions and approvals to our legal and rightful requests,” it stated. “Adding to the intrigue, the Election Commission displays undue haste in taking action against BJP members, sometimes even in the absence of formal complaints. A stark example is the case of Smt. Shobha Karandlaje, where a member of the flying squad hastily registered an FIR under inappropriate provisions. Despite her public apology, she was forced to seek recourse from the Karnataka High Court to secure a stay on the FIR. Upon scrutiny, the High Court rightfully halted this misadventure, questioning the misuse of legal provisions,” it stated. “Curiously, such promptness is conspicuously absent in cases involving members of other political entities such as Prasun Banerjee in West Bengal, Anitha R Radhakrishnan in Tamil Nadu, Sanjay Raut in Maharashtra and Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai and many more. Thus, it is imperative that swift and stringent measures be taken to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process,” the BJP stated. It urged the Commission to “reconsider its approach towards handling misdemeanour, transgressions, violations by the contesting political parties, political leaders and all others including the election personnel” and called for “swift, resolute and effective action”.
