New Delhi: Over 200 complaints were reported from Uttar Pradesh, including voter suppression, campaign rule violations, and EVM malfunctions, in the fifth phase of elections, according to the weekly bulletin of the Independent Panel for Monitoring Indian Elections.
Incidents of violence were reported in Bengal, it said.
“Videos that went viral showed a minor in Farrukhabad, son a of a Panchayat head, casting vote in favour of BJP, eight times, and spreading it on his social media account. The Panel is satisfied to note that the state chief electoral officer has recommended repoll in the specific polling station,” it added.
It further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party, particularly UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, continued to use religious rhetoric and hate speech in violation of election rules.
“Adityanath also claimed, wrongly, that the opposition planned to impose an inheritance tax and hand over a portion of people’s properties to Muslims, Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Afghans. Similar lies deploying anti-Muslim tropes were repeated by him in yet another election rally,” it said.
The full report is reproduced below.
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Independent Panel for Monitoring Indian Elections – 2024
Weekly Bulletin of key concerns. No. 9, 16-22 May, 2024
This is the ninth of our weekly catalogue of concerns about the integrity of 2024 general election (GE). As the Independent Panel for Monitoring Indian Elections, 2024, we have been observing the 2024 GE process and publishing our findings, periodically. The bulletin is meant to raise emergent concerns, also directly with the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the hope that these are addressed speedily, also as a record of our concerns.
1. Polling day complaints and irregularities in the fifth phase
Over 200 complaints regarding voter suppression, violations of campaigning rules, and malfunction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) among others, were reported from Uttar Pradesh. Incidents of violence were also reported from constituencies in Bengal. Videos that went viral showed a minor in Farrukhabad, son a of a Panchayat head, casting vote in favour of BJP, eight times, and spreading it on his social media account. The Panel is satisfied to note that the state chief electoral officer has recommended repoll in the specific polling station.
2. Communal statements and hate speech
As highlighted in previous reports, elections underway continue to be marred by the use of religious rhetoric and communal hate speech, especially by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to seek votes, in complete violation of the Representation of People’s Act and Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
● Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Yogi Adityanath, declared in an election rally that his government had made sure people (implying Muslims) do not offer prayers in streets, and that loudspeakers have come off mosques. He made no reference to religious observance by those from other communities, that also took over roads and public spaces and use of loudspeakers. Adityanath also claimed, wrongly, that the opposition planned to impose an inheritance tax and hand over a portion of people’s properties to Muslims, Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Afghans. Similar lies deploying anti-Muslim tropes were repeated by him in yet another election rally.
3. Election Commission of India (ECI) continuing to fail to deliver
• ECI refusing to provide voter turnout data
The ECI has still not revealed data related to numbers of total voters and total votes polled in each constituency in the phases that have been completed so far. The Chief Election Officer of Puducherry, in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, has stated that this data will be released only after the elections are over. A former Chief Election Commissioner has stated why there is no reason for such a delay.
• ECI’s ineffective application of MCC rules
Confirming past trends, ECI seems to continue to be applying the MCC unequally across political parties, letting the ruling BJP get away with violations while sending notices to opposition parties. A report dated 12 May showed that out of 16 notices over MCC violations, the ECI issued only 3 to the ruling BJP despite there being ample evidence of the use of religious appeal by its senior leaders for seeking votes.
The ECI had recently sent a notice jointly to the BJP and the Congress respectively asking its respective “star campaigners” not to make communal statements, and to refrain from claiming that the Constitution risked being abolished. However, the ECI is still to send notices to individual members of the BJP, including PM Modi and CM Adityanath, for the widely circulated communal speeches they continue to make.
4. Citizens’ mobilisation in light of failures of the ECI
As general election 2024 grinds on towards conclusion, there is growing concerns among citizens that ECI is failing in its duty, having become a handmaiden of the ruling party. These worries, along with unresolved concerns about EVM manipulation, and lack of transparency about voter data, are now transforming into fears of possible manipulation of votes on counting day. Over 120 civil society organisations came together recently to mobilise themselves into a citizen’s vigilance commission given the ECI’s failure in satisfactorily responding to repeated MCC violations and in releasing adequate voting relate data. The ECI’s failures have caused great concern among political observers and civil society about the lack of transparency over crucial election-related data and the possibility of manipulation of votes on counting day.
