Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EC asks Congress' Jairam Ramesh to share details of claim on Shah calling up DMs

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Sunday sought details from Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on his claims that Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to 150 District Magistrates and Collectors ahead of the counting of votes.

In its letter, the EC asked Ramesh to provide the details by 7 pm on Sunday.

The EC's letter came as Ramesh said on 'X' on Saturday, "the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is..."

"Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4, Mr Modi, Mr Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the I.N.D.I.A. 'Janbandhan' will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch," Ramesh added.

The EC said the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements "tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest".

When the Model Code of Conduct is in force, all officers are under the deemed deputation of the commission and they report directly to the poll watchdog for any directions, it said.

The EC also said no DM has reported: any such undue influence" as alleged by Ramesh. "It is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the Home Minister along with the factual matrix/basis of your information are shared by 7 pm today -- June 2, 2024, so that appropriate action can be taken," the letter said.

It also said being a responsible, experienced and very senior leader of a national party, Ramesh must have made such a public statement ahead of the counting day on the basis of facts or information he believes to be true.

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