Congress to soon launch national movement against 'electoral malpractices', raises 'suspicion' on 'shocking' Maharashtra poll debacle

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday announced a national movement against “severely compromising” the entire poll process by a “partisan” Election Commission (EC), claiming that “electoral malpractices were overlooked” in Haryana and “targeted manipulation” took place in Maharashtra robbing them of victories.

The decision to launch a comprehensive movement covering all aspects of the poll process came at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to review the results of the state polls held after the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. Kharge said in his opening remarks that Congress performance was “below expectation”.

After a four-and-half hour long meeting, a resolution adopted by the CWC did not make a specific demand for return to paper ballot, which was advocated by Kharge himself at a meeting earlier this week. The Congress has been raising complaints against manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but its Lok Sabha manifesto had called for a middle path.

The resolution said, “...the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the EC. Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. Congress will take these public concerns as a national movement.”

At the meeting, sources said, Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi said the party should not reduce its campaign just to EVMs and VVPAT but should enlarge it to the tampering of the electoral process. He was of the view that the party should expose the “mistakes” committed by the EC.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have told in the meeting that the EC should act in a transparent manner. He also wanted the party to expose developments that hinder free and fair elections at a time the EC is taking “one-sided decisions”.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra advocated the need for a focussed campaign on the issue, sources said.

Kharge said the EVMs have made the electoral process “suspicious” and questions are being raised as to what extent the EC is ensuring free and fair elections, while emphasising "no arithmetic is able to justify” the outcome in Maharashtra “after the kind of results” in Lok Sabha polls.

Calling Haryana results as “contrary to all expectations”, the resolution said, “very simply, the Congress should have formed the government in the state by a convincing margin but it didn’t. But there have been electoral malpractices that have influenced the result in the state which have been overlooked.”

It also accepted the performance of Congress and its allies in Maharashtra has been “inexplicable and is, in fact, shocking”. The electoral outcome is “beyond normal understanding” and it appears to be a “clear case of targeted manipulation”.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the party has clearly emphasised “electoral malpractices” and the party would be having two levels of analysis – one political and technical.

Asked whether the CWC has decided to call for a return to ballot paper, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the resolution has spelt out everything clearly. Party’s Media and Publicity Department chairperson Pawan Khera said the resolution is not just about EVMs but the whole electoral process.