'Fake' Narratives Spread To Sway Elections': CEC Dares Oppn To Give Proof To Back Claims

India created world record as 64.2 crores voters participated in polls, postal ballots to be counted first

Slamming the Opposition parties for levelling allegations that returning officers and district magistrates were influenced to vitiate the poll process, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the Opposition should come out with evidence before the Commission before the counting of votes takes place.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the counting of votes in the Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said: “You cannot spread a rumour and bring everyone under a cloud of suspicion.’’ He was flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu.

Taking exception to allegations that district magistrates were being influenced, the CEC said: “Those levelling allegations should say which DM was influenced and we will punish them. They should tell us before the counting process begins.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had been calling district magistrates and collectors and indulging in “blatant and brazen” intimidation.

District magistrates and collectors are the returning officers of their respective districts during the election. The Election Commission had accepted all the demands made by the multi-party delegation that met the panel on Sunday, saying the issues raised by them were part of the election process going on for seven decades.

“Some demands were made by a multi-party delegation. We have agreed to all the demands,” the CEC said, indicating that most of the issues raised by the multi-party delegation were part of election manuals.

Kumar admitted that the Election Commission had failed to counter the mischievous narratives spread during the poll process.