EC appointment process change fuels doubts about fairness: Gehlot

Time of India

18 hours ago

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Jaipur: Former chief minister
Ashok Gehlot
Friday raised questions about the impartiality of the
Election Commission
during a press briefing in Jaipur. Supporting Leader of Opposition
Rahul Gandhi
's allegations of 'vote theft', Gehlot said that the EC was working under the
BJP
's pressure.
Gehlot mentioned that doubts arose after changes in the EC's appointment process. If the appointments were made using the old method, these controversies might not have occurred.
"Doubts arose as soon as the law was passed by Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) on how the Election Commissioner should be selected. When the Supreme Court suggested a committee comprising the PM, Leader of Opposition, and the CJI to select the election commissioner, this process would have prevented doubts.
Rahul Gandhi wouldn't have had to raise these issues. However, the way the law was changed in a few days, replacing the CJI with union home minister Amit Shah, naturally raised suspicions.
Following this, the behaviour of the EC has changed. Its bias is clearly visible. For the first time, the EC is discriminating against meeting opposition leaders. Its conduct towards the opposition is objectionable," said Gehlot.
He said the situation has reached a point where democracy is under threat in the country. "All institutions, be it the executive, judiciary, or legislature, are under pressure," he added. "If elections are rigged institutionally with the collusion of the EC and the ruling party (BJP), where will democracy stand? There was a time when our experts conducted elections and trained officials from other countries. Now, the credibility is diminishing.
Shouldn't this concern the citizens?" he asked.
Accusing the BJP of systematically damaging democratic institutions through undemocratic practices, Gehlot said it was doing such things for its political advantage. He further alleged that the BJP's manipulation of poll results through 'selective rigging' and the 'use of money power' was a major threat to democracy.
He noted that the closure of EC websites in states like Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra after Gandhi's press conference on Thursday raises suspicion. However, the Rajasthan CEO website, which couldn't be opened in the afternoon, was working later.
He said the EC should publicly clarify its stance. Gehlot suggested that instead of asking Gandhi for a declaration under oath, the EC should issue one to affirm its impartiality and resolve the controversy.
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