The Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 2 sought an explanation from senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding his recent claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been calling up district magistrates and collectors and has, so far, spoken to 150 of them.
Asking Mr. Ramesh to reply by Sunday evening, the ECI said in its notice that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, officers report to the ECI for any directions. Congress sources said that Mr. Ramesh’s lawyers are in touch with the ECI and will soon submit a reply to the notice.
In the notice, the ECI said that no DM had reported any such undue influence as alleged by Mr. Ramesh. “As you are aware, the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed to larger public interest,” the notice said. The Commission also requested Mr. Ramesh to share the details of the 150 DMs and collectors to whom the Union Home Minister has allegedly spoken.
‘Blatant intimidation’
On Saturday, Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X that “the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors”. He added: “So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch.”
Track latest updates on general elections 2024 here
The ECI will hold a press conference on Monday, a day ahead of the declaration of results of the Lok Sabha election, for which voting concluded on Saturday.
Sources said that the ECI would address concerns raised by political parties on various issues and request that the parties do not raise issues which can undermine the poll process.
Published - June 02, 2024 03:34 pm IST
