Congress Alleges Electoral Fraud In Gujarat, Demands Investigation From EC

With polling for the first phase of assembly elections held in Gujarat, the Congress on Thursday complained to the Election Commission over the security of electronic voting machines amid allegations t🍃hat the Gujarat Police will be in charge of the machines after voting.

The Co🍸ngress wrote to the EC seeking an investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud in Gujarat and cited reports that the Tripura State Rifles, which has been deployed for Gujarat polls, has been asked to maintain distance from polling booths post vot📖ing.

The Congress has alleged that the EVMs are being handled by the Gujarat Police and they w🔯ill be in charge of securing these machines after polling is over.

"Post completion of polling process, the soldiers have additiona👍lly been directed not to accompany the electronic voting machines to their respective secured storage places, and that specifically✱ two officers of the Gujarat Police will be in charge of securing the EVMs.

"If the above allegations are found to be true, an essential and fundamen𝔉tal feature of a democracy - conducting free and fair elections - shall be threatened. The use of police officers who are in direct control of the ruling party of the state cannot therefore be allowed to accompany the ballot boxes to their secure locations in the absence of a third neutral party (TSR soldiers)," the Congress said in its complaint to the EC.

"We urge you to kindly initiate a thorꦑough investigation into these serious allegation𒊎s of electoral fraud in the state of Gujarat threatening to violate the entire Indian democracy," the party said.

Congress spokesperson and head of the party's social media department, Supriya Shrinate, said several battalions of the Tripura State Rifl𒁃es have been deployed in elections in Gujarat but it has been brought to the party's notice that a lot of these soldiers have been told not to go anywhere close to the polling booths.

The soldiers have also been told not ✨to accompany the EVMs when they are taken to their storage places and officers of the Gujarat Police will accompany these machine🎉s, she said.

&qu༺ot;This raises serious questions on the conduction of fౠree and fair elections in Gujarat because the state police is under the state government and cannot be expected to be impartial," she said.

"It is also weakening the 🤡very foundation on which our democracy is built.

Such news that has come out of Gujarat are deeply wor༺ryin🎉g. 

The Congress party has indeed written to the Election Commission and approached it to ensure that an investigation is carried out as to who is giving these directions to thꦺe Tripura State Rifle𓃲s and who is encouraging Gujarat Police instead to accompany the EVMs," Shrinate said.

AICC secretary and coordinator in the Congress president's office Prꦉanav Jha said, "if such direꦺctions have indeed been given to the TSR battalions, it raises a serious doubt on the fairness of an election process, allowing the puppets of the ruling party to manipulate and illegally tamper with the ballot boxes".

"If this is happening, it tampers with the poll process and we have asked the Election Commission to investigate the matter🐎♛," Jha told PTI.

He cited the complaint of EVMs being transported in private vehicles in Himachal Pradesh, again🍎st which the party also complained to the EC.

Jha 🐽said the EC must ensure that its directives💮 are properly followed and there should be fair play in the conduct of elections so that the level-playing field is not disturbed.

The Congress earlier complained to the EC against the airing of "sponsored" opinion polls by some news channels ahead of first phase voting in Gujarat, claiming it was a brazen attempt to influence the electorate. The EC has taken the complaint seriously as the opinion polls were aired in violations of the rules.