The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the BJP’s main challengers in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, attacked the Modi government on Friday. Despite the reservation, CEC Commissioner Susil Chandra and two election officials, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, claimed to have attended a “meeting” convened in the prime minister’s office. Rajendra Chaudhary, a spokeswoman for the SP, said his party will demand further information on the Election Commission’s “engagement” with the PMO.
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Kunwar Danish Ali, a BSP MP, said he will bring the subject up in Parliament. Ali told the EC was not subject to the PMO. The Commissioners did not discuss any election-related matters. This was only for the purpose of expediting the implementation of election changes.” According to Ali, the government could have written to the EC outlining its objections to the proposed reforms, and the EC may then convene an all-party conference.
He cited the case of a Parliamentary Standing Committee that attempted to summon the Election Commissioners at one point. “However, even the Standing Committee has been instructed that they cannot be called,” he stated. Ali argued that the Modi administration will not let any autonomous institutions to thrive. “They (the PMO) are not allowed to say that.” The European Commission is meant to be autonomous; it is an independent organisation. How are they going to contact the EC? So, how can we expect the elections to be free and fair? Elections are set to take place in five states. And how can we expect to be treated fairly in any of the next elections?” According to the Congressman,
The meeting came a day after the EC got a strangely worded letter from an official of the Law Ministry the poll panel’s administrative Ministry stating that PM P K Mishra will “chair a meeting” on a unified electoral roll and “expects CEC” to be there. Such phrase, according to an official, caused a stir since it sounded like a “summons” and violated precedent and constitutional principles. While he and the other two Commissioners did not attend the video meeting in which their subordinates were present as is customary, the three did promptly follow up with a “informal conversation” with Mishra.
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John Brittas, a Rajya Sabha MP for the CPM, said the report was “extremely important” and “an eyeopener” in terms of how the government is “tampering” with independent institutions such as the EC. We’ve seen cases when the EC’s independence has been questioned and the government has interfered with the EC. It is evident that this administration is hell-bent on destroying all of the country’s institutions, particularly the EC, which has a significant influence on the country’s elections and democratic system.”
