New Delhi: The Congress has written an urgent letter to the Election Commission, alleging an unexplained slowdown in updating of results on the EC’s website between 9 am and 11 am. The EC has called the allegation ill-founded.
Results of elections to the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assemblies are being declared today, October 8. The EC’s website is meant to reflect trends and victories. So far, the EC has announced only two victories in Haryana and and eight in Jammu and Kashmir.
Many news channels with reporters at counting centres have been offering quicker pictures of the counting than the official website is.
“Over the last two hours between 9-11AM, there has been an unexplained slowdown in updating of results on the ECI’s website,” the letter signed by Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh reads.
After an early lead in postal ballots, Congress is trailing in Haryana.
“As you can imagine this allows bad faith actors to spin narratives that undermine the process. You can see examples of it already playing out on social media. Our fear is also that such narratives can then be used by these mala fide actors to influence processes where counting is still underway i.e. in most of the counting centres,” he has added.
Although Haryana is not mentioned in the letter, Ramesh noted in a post on X that the complaint had to do with Haryana.
Ramesh requested the EC to issue immediate directions to its officials to update the website with “true and accurate figures so that false news and malicious narratives can be countered immediately.”
“Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to- date trends on the ECI website. Is the BJP trying to build pressure on administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends @ECISVEEP?” he also wrote on X.
The EC has responded saying the allegations did not have basis.
“Approx. 25 rounds across all constituencies are being updated every 5 mts. Counting is being done as per statutory provisions,” it said on X, adding a longer statement with purported rounds and their timings logged.
“…[T]he Commission notes that previously on June 4, 2024, in the context of General Elections 2024, a somewhat similar concern was raised by INC which was ill founded and dismissed by the Commissioner.” it said.
Note: This article has been updated with the EC’s response.
