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EC rejects Opposition’s charges, calls vote counting mechanism robust
Kumar said the electoral exercise consisted of different checks and balances, which added to its vitality.
Chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Monday called the country’s election process and vote counting mechanism “robust” as he dismissed the Opposition’s allegation that attempts were being made to vitiate people’s mandate by influencing officials and violating protocols.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, Kumar said the electoral exercise consisted of different checks and balances, which added to its vitality.
“Counting and the entire election process have a very robust system. We don’t think such a robust system is possible in any other place. The whole counting process is codified. Micro-observers are in place. There cannot be any mistake in this process.” he said.
The CEC also said that “fake” and “mischievous” narratives were spread to undermine the electoral process.
“A rumour was spawned that ROs [returning officers] had been influenced in large numbers. How can that happen in the country? People have been working in this intense heat for the last three months, how can someone influence 500-900 people across the country? If someone can do that, tell us. We will punish that person. Tell us before the counting [of votes] so that we can punish the district magistrate who did it. You can’t spread rumours and cast doubt upon everybody,” he said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday alleged that Union minister Amit Shah was calling district magistrates and collectors ahead of the counting of votes, terming it as “blatant and brazen intimidation.”
EC on Sunday asked Ramesh to submit proof to back his claims, but the Congress leader sought more time. The poll panel asked him to file a response with a ‘factual matrix’ by 7pm on Monday, warning that a failure to comply will invite “appropriate action”. HT could not ascertain if Ramesh had filed a reply on Monday.
He said that the poll body was caught unaware by the fake narratives that were being peddled from within the country.
“We had expected such fake narratives to come from outside the country and we had taken measures, that I can’t detail, to tackle them. But this happened from within... There is a pattern, there is a design. I am not calling it a toolkit...”
Counting of postal ballots
Kumar said the counting of postal ballots will take place before the counting of votes cast through EVMs, as the rules dictate.
On Sunday, a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, asking it to ensure that the result from postal ballots was declared before the last round of counting of votes on EVMs began, adding that there was a guideline to this effect, but it was withdrawn on May 18, 2019.
“Postal ballot counting will start first. After only half an hour, we will start EVM counting. There is no doubt about it. This is how it was done in multiple elections, including the 2019 elections. This is how we counted votes yesterday [for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim assembly elections]……. We cannot change the process midway,” he said.
Ending polls before summers
Kumar said that one of his biggest learnings was the need to end the elections before the onset of the harsh summer. He, however, highlighted that it won’t be possible to compress the polling schedule given the size of the electoral exercise and the resources that need to be mobilised.
An intense heatwave has gripped the country, with mercury rising close to 50°C in many parts. The rising temperature has taken a toll on people, especially those on election duty, with many succumbing to heat stress. On Saturday alone, 33 people deployed on election duty in Uttar Pradesh died due to heat exposure, according to official reports.
“I have directed each CEO to ensure the compensation reaches the families without any delay. Compensation of ₹15 lakh is being given by EC to the families of the poll officials who died,” he told HT after the press briefing.
More seizures
Kumar also highlighted that compared to 2019, when seizures worth ₹3,475 crore were made, this time, seizures worth ₹10,000 crore were made. Cash worth ₹1,054 crore, liquor worth ₹898 crore, precious metals worth ₹1,459 crore, freebies worth ₹2,198 crore and drugs worth ₹4,391 crore were seized, he said.
“In the southern states, everything was distributed as a freebie. Cash used to be distributed. This time we made seizures worth about ₹10,000 crore. This is all because of two to two-and-a-half-years [of] constant work. In the 11-12 state elections leading up to the general elections, seizures worth about ₹3,500 crore were made. These are the details that are getting lost in the fake narratives and the country must know about them,” he said.
Assembly elections in J&K soon
Kumar said that the process to hold the assembly polls will soon begin in Jammu & Kashmir as he celebrated the high voter turnout in the region during the Lok Sabha elections. “When we had gone to [hold consultations] on March 12 and 13, at that time, we were asked why the assembly polls weren’t being held alongside general elections. We had said that we will conduct the elections at the right time. Now, we will build on this foundation [of high voter turnout]. We understand that the people are ready to democratically decide their own future and we salute all of them,” Kumar said.
Deployment of central forces
In a bid to prevent post-poll violence, EC has for the first time decided to continue with the deployment of central forces in some states even after the expiry of the Model Code of Conduct period, Kumar said.
The states where the central forces will continue to be deployed include Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, but they will report to the state governments as law and order is a state subject, Kumar said.
Deepfakes not a concern
Kumar said that contrary to their fears, deepfakes were not much of a concern during the elections.
“When the elections began, we were worried that this time, we don’t know what kind of AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated content might crop up… Nothing of the sort happen. We were largely able to manage and control the menace of deepfakes and the AI generated synthetic content. This happened because we had been training people for two years..,” he said.
