Cong dubs UP govt hostile, seeks measures for Amethi

Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission seeking deployment of additional personnel in Amethi, the Lok Sabha seat where Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election, to ensure free and fair poll, contending that the party was facing a hostile government.

In a memorandum to the Election Commission, senior Congress leaders Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Ahmed Patel sought deployment of more video cameras for recording the poll process at sensitive booths, a three-fold increase in the number of micro-observers and additional security on Monday, the day of polling.

“The Uttar Pradesh government is hostile and it has deliberately stopped schemes in Amethi as it is the constituency represented by Congress President Rahul Gandhi,” Singhvi said.

The Congress leader said the government was making all out efforts to push the project proposals made by a woman minister to create an impression that she was getting work done in the constituency and not Rahul.

For Smriti effect

Singhvi said more money was being pumped into Amethi by flouting rules, to give credence to the woman minister, an apparent reference to Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who is contesting against Rahul.

Keeping up the heat on the Election Commission, the Congress delegation also demanded that details of EVMs should be made available to all political parties before the counting of votes on May 23.

It urged the Commission to frame guidelines for verifying results against the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips.

“The selection of five EVMs should not be pre-determined as it defeats the purpose of cross verification but should be random at the discretion of the party raising concerns,” the Congress delegation said.