A day ahead of the voting for the Delhi Assembly Elections, the Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The poll body said that the 3-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in the Delhi Elections.
In a post on X, the poll commission said, “The 3-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in Delhi Elections, as if it is a single member body & decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity, stoically & not to be swayed by such insinuations.”
The EC further added that the action on issues raised by political parties and candidates was taken in each instance by over 1.5 lakh officials in the Delhi Assembly Election. These officials are functioning within an established legal framework, robust processes & SOPs ensuring fair play and non-partisan conduct, EC said.
EC’s statement comes after Atishi made allegations about the poll body in a post concerning BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri. She had said, “The Election Commission is also amazing! Ramesh Bidhuri’s family members are openly violating the code of conduct. No action is being taken against them. I filed a complaint and called the police and ECI, and they filed a case against me! Rajiv Kumar: How much will you ruin the electoral process.”
Soon after AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal reacted to the post and quoted saying, “Election Commission filed a police case against Delhi CM after she complained about the open hooliganism. So now this is the official stand of Delhi Police and Election Commission. The “job” of the Delhi Police and the Election Commission is to themselves indulge in hooliganism against the Aam Aadmi Party, provide protection to the hooliganism of the BJP, and distribute liquor, money and goods. If anyone stops them from doing this “work”, a case will be filed against him for obstructing the “work” of the police and the Election Commission.”
Later, Atishi posted a video with the caption, “BJP members are openly violating the code of conduct by distributing promotional material. The Election Commission has been informed. Let’s see if they have the courage to take action against BJP members.”
