The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said there were “repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign” it in the ongoing Delhi Assembly polls, in an apparent reference to the remarks made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against it. The Comm’ission said it will not be swayed by ‘such insinuations.’
Photo: Election Commission of India (IANS)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said there were “repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign” it in the ongoing Delhi Assembly polls, in an apparent reference to the remarks made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against it. The Comm’ission said it will not be swayed by ‘such insinuations.’
In a post on X, on the eve of Delhi Assembly polls, the ECI without naming anyone, wrote, “The three-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in Delhi Elections, as if it is a single member body, and decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity, stoically and not to be swayed by such insinuations.”
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The poll panel pointed out that action on issues raised by political parties and candidates are taken in each instance by over 1.5 lakh officials in Delhi polls, who are functioning within established legal framework, robust processes and SoPs ensuring fair play and non partisan conduct.
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Notably, the statement of the ECI came days after Kejriwal accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar of acting in favour of the BJP in a desperate bid for a post-retirement job.
Accusing the ECI of engaging in politics, he had said, “CEC Rajiv Kumar wants a post-retirement job after February 28. I want to tell Rajiv Kumar ji—history will not forgive you. The amount of damage you have done to the Election Commission, I don’t think the Election Commission has ever been tarnished this badly in India’s history.”
“Cash is being openly distributed in Delhi, but they fail to see it. Every day, blankets are being distributed, blankets were handed out. But they don’t notice that either. We even pointed out whose house is being used to store the money, yet they turn a blind eye to it,” the AAP convener said.
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