Unprecedented election absurdities
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The Supreme Court expressed an opinion last Monday that 'unheard of things are going on,' while rejecting petitioner Moti Singh's plea to be allowed to stand as a candidate for the Congress party in the Indore Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh. Moti Singh approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court on April 30 with a petition, arguing that he should be allowed to contest as a replacement candidate after Akshay Kanti, who had submitted his nomination as a Congress candidate in the constituency, withdrew and joined the BJP on April 29, the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers. On April 26, the Returning Officer rejected Moti Singh's nomination, as he was a dummy candidate for the Congress in the constituency. However, Moti Singh's argument was that since there was no candidate for Congress, his nomination should be re-examined to allow him to become a candidate. However, he approached the Supreme Court after both the High Court Single Bench and the Division Bench rejected the replacement candidacy. The court clarified that nothing could be done once the voting machine and symbols had already been allotted and proceedings had advanced. Simultaneously, the court also observed that the issues raised in the petition were relevant. Another peculiar incident unfolded in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a neighbouring state after Mukesh Dalal of the BJP was declared unopposed following the rejection of the Congress candidate's ticket in Surat, Gujarat.
The dummy candidate's papers had already been rejected early on technical grounds. Then, on the last day of nomination, the candidate withdrew and joined the BJP. However, unlike in Surat, where all the remaining candidates could not be withdrawn, the election will proceed there. In Surat and Indore, it appears the strategy devised by the BJP in their party's strongholds to achieve the target of 400 seats and more than fifty per cent of the votes has been revealed. Meanwhile, horrifying images of coercion on those contesting against Amit Shah in Gujarat's Gandhinagar went viral on social media. The operations in Surat and Indore have made it evident that the BJP is systematically devising ways to undermine democracy by leveraging its formulae and mechanisms. A review of the issues emerging every day make it apparent that the BJP, under the influence of power at the centre, is experimenting with transforming official institutions into instruments to enforce their will within the bounds of the law. As noted by the Supreme Court, it is evident that unprecedented developments are unfolding. Meanwhile, an organization called the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has approached the Supreme Court regarding the delay caused by the Election Commission in publishing the tally of polled votes. The petition states that this time, the poll count for the first phase of polling held on April 19 was published 11 days later, and for the second phase held on April 26, it was published four days later. Not only was the publication delayed, but there was also an increase of more than five per cent from the figure released on election day. ADR points out that this variation raises doubts about the accuracy of the figures. Therefore, ADR demands that the official documents revealing the official figures of polling at all polling stations be published on the Election Commission's website within 48 hours after the polling.
The petition also demands that authentic information regarding the votes received by the candidates be disclosed after the declaration of results. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to the leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance, questioning the delay in disclosing the Commission's figures and the significant increase in the figures released late. In the letter, he details how figures that used to be released within a day now take more than 10 days, and he raises concerns about the consistency of the figures being released. The Commission responded strongly to Kharge's letter but did not provide concrete answers to the issues raised. Instead, it offered the stock explanation that everything was conducted properly. Concurrently, it was accused of questioning the credibility and democratic commitment of the Commission and creating confusion among voters. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also complained about the delay and discrepancies in the figures.
In short, as observed by the Supreme Court, unprecedented allegations have been raised regarding this year's polls and the organizing system, particularly the Election Commission. The commission should strive to find a solution for these issues. During the announcement of the election, the Commission did not exude confidence in asserting its responsibilities and powers. Despite hate speeches and divisive campaigns made by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the President of the Central Ruling Party, the Commission appeared unable to control them and seemed helpless. This was expressed as intolerance. The other day, the Delhi High Court openly stated that 'the Election Commission is a constitutional institution; they cannot control it at a micro level. If the Commission does not regain its glory by recognizing its own status and value, the country may witness many unprecedented events in democracy. This would also undermine our pride as the largest democracy. Now, all we can do is hope and pray that such occurrences will not happen.