"Deceptive and Duplicitous": Jairam Ramesh Launches Scathing Attack on ECI
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleges illegal changes to voter forms and unilateral decisions by the CEC in a scathing attack on the ECI.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh has launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing a counter-affidavit filed by the poll body in the Supreme Court as "deceptive, deceitful and duplicitous." In a detailed rebuttal shared on X, Ramesh alleged that the ECI has engaged in "patent deception" and "word games" to cover up systemic irregularities.
The Battle Over Form 6
A central point of contention in Ramesh's critique is the alleged illegal amendment of Form 6, used for voter registration. The Congress leader claimed that the ECI has been inconsistent in its stance regarding a new mandatory declaration.
According to Ramesh, the ECI first claimed that the Supreme Court had upheld this new declaration attached to Form 6, a claim the Court later contradicted. He further alleged that while the ECI now asserts the declaration is a separate form and Form 6 remains unchanged, this is a deception because the online submission of Form 6 is impossible without completing the mandatory declaration.
"The ECI cannot cover up its blatant violation of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960," Ramesh stated, noting that the commission's position has shifted repeatedly.
Allegations of Unilateral Power
Ramesh raised serious concerns regarding the internal dynamics of the commission, alleging that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has been making unilateral decisions while bypassing the other two Election Commissioners (ECs).
While the ECI's affidavit suggests that major Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders were formally approved by all three commissioners, Ramesh claims this is a facade. He alleged that the two ECs had recorded objections to "grave violations and illegal actions" ordered by the CEC, but these objections were ignored. He further claimed that the ECs were often left in the dark, learning about key decisions through news reports rather than internal briefings.
Centralisation and the "Rogue" IT Division
The Congress leader also pointed toward a troubling trend of centralisation through ECINET. He alleged that this system was used to override the statutory authority of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). Ramesh claimed there is evidence of EROs being overruled in several states, including:
- Goa
- West Bengal
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
Adding to this, Ramesh described the ECI's IT division as "rogue," claiming it operates opaquely and oversteps its mandate. He revealed that the two ECs had even written to the Cabinet Secretary to express their concerns regarding the functioning of the IT division and ECINET, yet no corrective action has been taken.
The SIR "Disaster" and Mass Deletions
The critique extended to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which Ramesh labelled a "disaster." He alleged that numerous illegalities have surfaced, specifically claiming that Form 7 has been misused across nearly every state to carry out mass deletions of voters.
Concluding his six-point rebuttal, Ramesh noted that the ECI's affidavit failed to deny the veracity of revelations already being reported in the media. He suggested that this silence serves as a confirmation of "gross malpractice and legal violations" by the CEC, ending his post with a poetic warning about the "tangled web" woven by those who practice deception.