As polling for the Lok Sabha elections came to an end, the Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack against the Election Commission (EC). Party president Rahul Gandhi alleged that the poll body has capitulated before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “his gang”. The Congress, which has been attacking the EC over clean chits to Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Amit Shah over alleged poll code violations, also hit out at the poll panel for allowing the Modi’s pilgrimage on voting day. “From Electoral Bonds & EVMs to manipulating the election schedule, NaMo TV, “Modi’s Army” & now the drama in Kedarnath; the Election Commission’s capitulation before Mr Modi & his gang is obvious to all Indians. The EC used to be feared & respected. Not anymore,” Rahul tweeted. Exit Poll Results 2019: Check state-wise Lok Sabha election exit poll results The Trinamool wrote to the EC, alleging that Modi’s address to the media at Kedarnath shrine was “unethical”. “Every minute detail of his activities during the visit is being widely publicised with an ulterior motive to influence voters directly and/or indirectly,” TMC spokesperson Derek O’Brien wrote. It is unfortunate that the poll body has not taken any action against the PM, he added. “Election Commission, the highest body and the eyes and ears of the democratic process, remains blind and deaf to the gross violation of the MCC. l would request you to take immediate action.” he said . Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, “Polling is over. Now we can say that the ‘pilgrimage’ of the PM in the last two days is an unacceptable use of religion and religious symbols to influence the voting.” “Our charge had been that the EC was sleeping on the job. Now, we can go further and say that the EC completely surrendered its independence and authority. Shame!” he added. The CPI(M) too hit out at the EC. “Religion is a matter of personal faith and EC has reiterated that it cannot be used for garnering votes. But Modi violates the MCC brazenly with footage of his Kedarnath religious activity over TV channels during silent period before polling. And EC continues to sleep on the job,” CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. Yechury also spoke to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora over incidents of violence and alleged rigging in some constituencies in West Bengal. He alleged massive rigging in Diamond Harbour, Dum Dum and North Kolkata seats. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, too, wrote to the EC, alleging that “continuous” telecast of the PM’s “private activities” at Badrinath and Kedarnath is violation of the poll code . “If continuous telecast of these activities of PM is not stopped, it could affect the level playing field envisaged by the model code of conduct, which the ECI is duty bound to implement,” he wrote to Arora.
