New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was not functioning impartially and was not working in accordance with the Constitution.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Yadav said that complaints and objections regarding the Election Commission and its functioning were not new.
“This is not a new issue when it comes to the Election Commission. Complaints and objections regarding the Election Commission and the way it is functioning are not being raised for the first time. The Election Commission wants to believe that only those who are members of the Bharatiya Janata Party are Indian citizens. The Election Commission also seems to believe, as has been seen several times, that only those who are BJP members can vote,” he said.
Yadav alleged that the BJP had benefited from money and the misuse of forces during elections, while also accusing the poll body of failing to remain neutral.
“People used to say about the BJP that it works like an election machine. They did not win with the help of the ECI alone; they have a lot of money. You have seen how, with the help of forces, they looted booths in West Bengal. Not just Bengal, they looted booths in Uttar Pradesh. They looted the polls in Kundarki, Ambedkar Nagar and Ayodhya. So, the ECI is not unbiased. The ECI is not working under the Constitution,” he said.
He further questioned the alleged proximity between the BJP and the Election Commission and raised questions over the BJP’s office in the national capital.
“Sometimes, I hear that in Delhi, the BJP has made a big office in the national capital. What was the need for that? They could have taken a floor in the ECI building and worked from there. What was the need for that? Tell us whether the ECI has worked on these problems or taken any action,” Yadav said.
On the proposal for ‘One Nation, One Election’, Yadav alleged that the BJP wanted to consolidate all electoral processes at one time to avoid scrutiny.
“Not One Nation, One Election; they want to do all the malfunctioning at one time so that they can rule for five years, and there is no need for any probe. That is why they are working on the theory of One Nation, One Election,” he added.
Meanwhile, Opposition INDIA bloc MPs on Tuesday will stage a protest march from Parliament to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi over allegations of “vote theft” linked to the SIR of electoral rolls.
The protest comes amid a series of nationwide campaigns targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The call for the protest was issued following a meeting of 19 Opposition parties on September 30.
(IANS)
