"Replies are in a tone that is condescending...": Congress Hits Back at Election Commission Over Haryana Elections Response

The Congress on Friday issued a strong rebuttal to the Election Commission's recent reply regarding its complaints about "irregularities" in the Haryana Assembly elections. The party accused the poll body of attacking its leaders and warned of legal action against the ECI. 

In a letter Congress expressed that its communications with the Election Commission of India were meant to address specific issues while respecting the office of the Chief Election Commissioner and his fellow commissioners. However, they criticized the ECI's responses as condescending. "If the current ECI's goal is to strip itself of the last vestiges of neutrality, then it is doing a remarkable job at creating that impression," the letter stated.

The Grand Old party expressed its lack of surprise at the ECI's response but felt compelled to reply due to the "tone and tenor" of the communication. The party noted that the ECI seemed to have forgotten its obligation to engage with them on the issues raised.

"Every reply from the ECI now seems to be laced with ad-hominem attacks on either individual leaders or the party itself," reads the letter, signed by nine senior leaders including KC Venugopal, Ashok Gehlot, and Ajay Maken. The Congress maintained that its own communications focused on substantive issues while showing respect for the ECI. "However, the ECI's replies are written in a tone that is condescending." It warned that if the ECI continued this approach, the party would have no choice but to seek legal recourse to expunge such remarks. 

The Congress claimed that the ECI has consistently resisted transparency and pointed out that while its complaints about the Haryana election process were specific, the poll body's responses were generic and aimed at diminishing the concerns raised.

Following the counting on October 8, where the BJP won a third consecutive term with 48 out of 90 seats, the Congress had complained of an "unexplained slowdown" in result updates—a claim the ECI dismissed. In response to the Congress' complaints earlier, the Election Commission had labeled the party's allegations as "baseless" and cautioned against making "unfounded and sensational complaints." The ECI emphasized that the electoral process in Haryana was executed flawlessly and described the Congress' claims as "irresponsible."