In a move that raises questions about the neutrality of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Congress party on Sunday constituted an eight-member team to oversee the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, set for February 5. The formation of this panel comes just three days before the crucial elections and signals the party’s concerns about ensuring free and fair play during the process.
A circular issued by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary K.C. Venugopal announced the establishment of the Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE). According to the circular, the newly formed committee will monitor “the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India.”
The team’s first task will be to investigate the alleged manipulation of the Maharashtra voters’ list and provide a detailed report to Congress leadership. The panel is also expected to assess past elections in other states, proactively monitor upcoming elections, and address any issues related to the fairness of elections across the country.
The EAGLE team includes prominent Congress figures such as Ajay Maken, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty, Pawan Khera, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy.
This move by Congress comes after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi raised similar concerns, accusing the Election Commission of being biased in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cast doubt on the EC’s ability to conduct a fair election, alleging that Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was favoring the BJP in exchange for a post-retirement job.
Congress MP Imran Masood supported Kejriwal’s allegations, asserting that the ECI had shown partiality against opposition parties. In an interview with IANS, Masood stated, “It’s true that the ECI is operating with bias, and Opposition parties have been voicing this concern for a long time. There’s no doubt that the ECI is partial.”
Earlier, Congress had submitted a 12-page memorandum to the Election Commission raising concerns about the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were won by the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine. The memorandum highlighted issues such as arbitrary changes to the voter list, including the deletion and addition of over 10,000 voters per constituency. It also questioned the sudden increase in voter turnout from 58.22% to 65.02% during the later part of the polling process.
Even following its defeat in Haryana, Congress continued to voice doubts about the fairness of the electoral process, alleging the manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). (With inputs from IANS)