Congress Criticizes Election Commission's Transparency Amendments

The Congress party criticizes the Election Commission of India for amending election rules that prevent public inspection of electronic documents. The Congress plans a legal challenge, emphasizing the need for transparency and integrity in the electoral process. Officials attribute the amendment to a court directive.

The Congress party has strongly criticized the Election Commission of India for amending election rules that hinder public inspection of electronic documents, including CCTV and webcasting footage. This move, they argue, compromises transparency and integrity in the electoral process.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, announced plans to legally challenge the amendment, affirming that it validates their concerns about the declining integrity managed by the ECI. He highlighted a court ruling demanding transparency that was ignored by swiftly altering the rules to reduce public access to electoral documents.

Officials from the law ministry and the ECI explained that the amendment was prompted by a court case. KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary, echoed sentiments of suspicion in the electoral process, urging a reversal of the notification and exploring additional legal channels.

(With inputs from agencies.)