States » WestPosted at: Nov 4 2026 5:51PM


Congress slams BJP over protests, seeks answers on electoral transparency

Mumbai, Nov 4 (UNI) The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Wednesday criticised the BJP over its protests against alleged threats to democracy, accusing the ruling party of diverting attention from questions raised by the Opposition instead of addressing them through constitutional and administrative channels.
Senior state Congress spokesperson Gopaldada Tiwari said that despite having control over constitutional and administrative machinery, the BJP is resorting to protests rather than providing satisfactory answers to allegations raised by the Opposition.
Responding to allegations by union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders that the Congress and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were creating disorder and threatening democracy, Tiwari said the Congress protests were aimed at highlighting alleged misconduct by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He said questioning alleged irregularities in the electoral process and raising concerns over deletion of voters' names and alleged vote theft were the constitutional rights of an alert Opposition. Rahul Gandhi had presented supporting details at several press conferences, while observations by election officials and remarks made by courts had also raised questions over the electoral process, he claimed.
Tiwari said the Congress-led 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on November 1 received a significant public response. He alleged that the BJP's counter-protests held at various places failed to attract public participation beyond party workers.
Referring to allegations of irregularities and lack of transparency in the electoral process, Tiwari said the Election Commission had not yet provided a conclusive response to concerns raised by Opposition parties, civil society groups and social organisations.
He also referred to a report in The Indian Express claiming that two senior Election Commission officials had raised 14 written objections over a period of one year. He questioned why Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had not addressed these concerns through a joint press conference or issued a detailed clarification.
Tiwari further questioned the centralisation of powers relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asking why the Election Commission had shifted certain responsibilities to the central level when Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer had reportedly sought greater authority for booth-level officials. He said the Election Commission should clarify these issues instead of BJP leaders defending the poll body.
He maintained that the Opposition's criticism was directed at the Election Commission, an independent constitutional institution, and alleged that the BJP leadership's repeated defence of the Chief Election Commissioner was raising further questions about the relationship between the ruling party and the poll body.
On the BJP's allegations of infiltration and threats of disorder, Tiwari questioned how many infiltrators have been deported by the Centre during its 12 years in power. He also asked how many suspected infiltrators have been identified during the SIR exercise in West Bengal and Bihar, alleging that the Election Commission had not provided answers to questions raised by journalists on the issue.
He said that repeatedly invoking infiltration and the possibility of anarchy while avoiding questions about electoral transparency is not appropriate for a government that had been in power for over a decade and controlled the country's border security apparatus.
Reacting to Fadnavis's allegation that the Opposition was receiving financial support from China, Tiwari asked what action the union Finance Ministry, Home Ministry and agencies dealing with economic offences had taken if such funding was indeed taking place.
He demanded that the Chief Minister provide details of the alleged funding channels and the individuals or institutions involved, rather than making what he termed unsubstantiated statements.
Tiwari said constitutional institutions should function independently and the ruling establishment should focus on fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities instead of repeatedly raising allegations of threats to democracy and disorder.
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