RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha uses ‘Panchayat’ web series to attack Election Commission in Rajya Sabha

The RJD MP said he had raised several complaints to the Election Commission during the first phase of polls but only received a response two days ago.

Updated on: Jul 1, 2024, 21:00:28 IST

By HT News Desk

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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha on Monday questioned the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) by citing a recent pre-poll survey.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing session at the Parliament in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI Photo/Sansad TV)

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial remarks during the Lok Sabha election campaign, the RJD MP said he raised several complaints to the Election Commission during the first phase of polls only to receive a response just two days ago.

“I received the e-mail the day before yesterday, asking for my name, address, and phone number. For what? Is this the system?” Jha said during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President's address.

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He cited a pre-poll survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS which said only 28 per cent of respondents were left with ‘great trust’ in the Election Commission.

"Isse jyada bharosa toh Panchayat web series mein Phulera ke gram pradhan ka hai (Even the village head of Phulera in Panchayat web series has greater credibility than the Election Commission)," Jha said.

Panchayat is a popular web series in which veteran actor Raghubir Yadav has played the character of ‘Pradhan Ji’.

Read: Yogi Adityanath, union minister question Rahul Gandhi's 'maturity' after Lok Sabha speech

While more than half of the voters reported having a great amount of trust in the Election Commission in 2019, the latest survey suggested only 28 per cent of respondents had great trust. There was a marginal increase – from 27 per cent to 30 per cent – in those with 'some trust' in the poll body, according to Lokniti-CSDS survey.

The percentage of those who have little or no trust has doubled, now standing at 14 per cent and 9 per cent respectively, compared to 7 per cent and 5 per cent in 2019.

According to the survey, 17 per cent of respondents believed it was 'highly likely' that EVMs could be manipulated by the ruling party, while 28 per cent considered it 'somewhat likely'. In contrast, 27 per cent believed EVM manipulation was 'not likely', with the remaining respondents having no opinion.

The Lokniti-CSDS pre-poll survey 2024 compiled responses from 10,019 individuals across 19 states.

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