Congress Criticizes Election Commission Affidavit as 'Deceptive and Duplicitous'

Overview of the Allegations

The Indian National Congress has formally criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a recent affidavit filed in the Supreme Court. Party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh has characterized the document as "deceptive, deceitful, and duplicitous," claiming that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is operating through unilateral decision-making processes.

Core Issues Raised

According to the statements provided by the Congress party, the primary concerns include:

• Unilateral Decisions: Ramesh alleged that the CEC has been making significant decisions without the consensus of the other two Election Commissioners, who reportedly had to learn of these actions through media reports rather than internal communication.
• Contradictions on Form 6: The party disputes the EC's stance on Form 6. Congress asserts that while the EC claims the form was not amended, the digital submission process mandates a declaration that creates a functional amendment, which they argue was previously misrepresented to the Supreme Court.
• Centralization of Electoral Rolls: The Congress party has raised concerns regarding the use of ECINET, alleging that it overrides the statutory authority of electoral registration officers.

Status of the Dispute

These claims originate from a public statement issued by Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh via social media. The Election Commission has not issued a detailed public rebuttal to these specific allegations at this time. Interested parties can monitor official Supreme Court filings or future ECI press releases to verify the details of the affidavit and the commission's formal response to these accusations.