'There is no third umpire': EC fends off bias allegations

The Election Commission Thursday dismissed allegations levelled by the Congress and other opposition parties about its bias, stating that poll results often proved the body's fairness.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the umpires were often blamed by rival teams in cricket matches. “We do not have a third umpire here that we can go back and check ball by ball. But the outcome is the testimony of the fairness of the EC," he said.

CEC Kumar was replying to a question about its alleged bias towards the ruling dispensation. "This is nothing new. This is our proud legacy. The Election Commission was not set up yesterday," he said. "No matter how much I try to make you understand, what's important are the actions and our correct results. Results have shown that those who are critical got surprising results.”

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Just before the EC announced the schedule of the polling, the Congress, which is fighting against the BJP, tweeted emojis of three monkeys, sarcastically adding that the poll watchdog was an autonomous institution and it conducted fair elections.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been criticising the EC for delaying the announcement of the schedule of the assembly elections in Gujarat. They alleged that the poll panel delayed the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct in Gujarat so that PM Narendra Modi could complete announcing or laying the foundation of projects and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could reap dividends.

“Many parties write long letters to us complaining against the EVM (Electronic Voting Machines). And then their candidates win, those complaints stop. And the results get accepted," Kumar said. "If we say that our results are not correct, then it will be an insult to the people of this democracy," he said.