Congress to present document compiling its poll reform suggestions to EC: Jairam Ramesh

Amit Shah said the EC keeps asking for suggestions on electoral reforms but the Congress did not give suggestions. This is what he said. I want to condemn this statement, Ramesh told a press conference here.

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said it is preparing a document compiling its suggestions for presenting to the Election Commission soon, as it rebutted the BJP charge that it had not made a single suggestion to the poll watchdog for election reforms since 2014.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Congress has accepted Rajya Sabha Leader of House J P Nadda's challenge that the party has not made any suggestion to the EC on election reforms since 2014 and will prove him wrong.

"The Home Minister (Amit Shah) replied to the debate on Election Reforms in the Lok Sabha and stated something which is baseless. He said the EC keeps asking for suggestions on electoral reforms but the Congress did not give suggestions. This is what he said. I want to condemn this statement," Ramesh told a press conference here.

"Many of our leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Singh Surjewala have written to the EC on what changes need to be made to the election process. My petition is pending before the Supreme Court. Since June 2023 till December 2023, we repeatedly asked for appointment from the EC on the issue of VVPAT. INDIA bloc meeting on December 18, 2023, passed a resolution and a copy was sent to the EC," he said.

"I want to say that the Leader of the House repeated this claim. We have accepted the challenge and the Congress is preparing a document on election reforms and we will present it to the Election Commission in the next 2-3 weeks. Leader of House said you don't present suggestions to EC so we have accepted the challenge and the suggestions that we have made will be put together and presented to the EC," he said.

Ramesh's remarks come after Nadda, earlier this week in the Rajya Sabha, said no one took up the challenge thrown by the EC to show how the process could be rigged.

He had said the Opposition wanted to go back to ballot paper, but recalled what happened with the elections of Kripalani and Ambedkar.

"I have seen how ballot boxes used to disappear," he had said, asking the opposition members to come out of these excuses.

Since 2014, he said, the EC has not received a single suggestion for electoral reforms from the Congress, which has gone only for election disputes. The Congress said it will also present this document to both Shah and Nadda.