‘Systematic Conspiracy of Modi Govt’: Kharge on Amendment of Election Rules

After the National Democratic Alliance on Sunday amended the Conduct of Election Rules, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Centre for undermining the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

He claimed the government is now stonewalling crucial electoral information despite a High Court order, in a post on X. Kharge also highlighted previous actions, such as the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the ECI selection panel.

Kharge called it a systematic conspiracy, “Modi Government’s audacious amendment in the Conduct of Election Rules is another assault in its systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India. Earlier, they had removed the Chief Justice of India from the Selection panel which appoints Election Commissioners, and now they have resorted to stonewall electoral information, even after a High Court order,” he said.

Kharge’s X post:

“Every time the Congress party wrote to the ECI, regarding specific poll irregularities such as voter deletions and lack of transparency in EVMs, the ECI has responded in a condescending tone and chosen not to even acknowledge certain serious complaints. This again proves that the ECI, even though is a quasi-judicial body is not behaving independently. Modi Govt’s calibrated erosion of ECI’s integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and Democracy and we will take every step to safeguard them,” Kharge added.

This came in the wake of a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court directive in the Mahmoud Pracha vs ECI case, where the court ordered the sharing of all documents related to the Haryana Assembly elections, including CCTV footage under Rule 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.

The amendment by the Centre now restricts public scrutiny of certain electronic documents, including CCTV footage, based on a recommendation from the ECI. The Union Law Ministry recently amended Rule 93(2) to specify which documents are open to public inspection.

However, a senior ECI official clarified that the candidate already has access to all the documents and papers, and no amendments have been made to the rules in this regard.

The ECI official noted that while the rule refers to “election papers,” it does not explicitly address electronic records. The ambiguity in the rule and concerns over potential misuse of CCTV footage inside polling stations, especially with advancements in artificial intelligence, prompted an amendment to safeguard voter secrecy and prevent its misuse.

The official emphasized that sharing CCTV footage inside the polling stations from sensitive areas such as Jammu and Kashmir or Naxal-affected regions could compromise voter safety. “Lives of voters may be at risk, and the secrecy of the vote must be protected,” the official stated. All other election-related documents and papers remain accessible for public inspection.