Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday wrote to Election Commission of India alleging “egregious partiality” towards the party. It also claimed that the Election officers turned “blind eye” to social media posts or speeches flagged by the BJP.
In the letter, BJP wrote: “…instances abound where Election 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 the BJP.”
The saffron party also alleged a delay by the EC in granting permissions and approvals to BJP’s legal and rightful requests.
“The Election Commission displays undue haste in taking action against BJP members, sometimes even in the absence of formal complaints,” it said.
The BJP has alleged partiality by election officers in several states including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. “The conduct of officers is biased due to pressure of their political bosses,” it said.
“Our experience of past several state assembly and other elections suggest that ECI’s directives. advisories and legal provisions under various legislations have not quite succeeded in sustaining an atmosphere of a fair competition and contest,” BJP’s letter read.
“In the absence of prompt, effective and exemplary action, the process of issuing show cause notices and other friendly actions of the ECI are not being treated seriously with the consideration and respect they deserve,” it added.
The BJP, after highlighting these issues, requested the ECI that the election personnel engaged on 2024 Lok Sabha election duties must suo-moto detect violations to initiate an action.
The party also asked the poll agency to “reconsider its approach towards handling misdemeanor” to ensure swift, effective action.
In the list of four requests, the BJP request that the ECI direct the officers involved in the election process to maintain the “impartiality throughout”, while also asking for a “prompt and effective” action against erring officers.
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Published: 26 Mar 2024, 09:32 PM IST
