'Not tenable': EC sources on Cong seeking digital copy of Maharashtra voters' list
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI): A day after the Congress urged the Election Commission to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list, EC sources on Thursday said the demand is "not tenable" under the prevailing legal framework, asserting that a similar plea of the party was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019.
The EC sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such demand by the Congress is "not new".
"Rather, it forms part of a strategy by the political party for well over eight years, a fact that appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation," an EC source pointed out.
The EC sources said the demand reiterated by Gandhi, albeit consistent with the position historically maintained by the Congress, is "not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework".
They pointed out that the issue was already agitated by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee.
It appears that Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, may not have been appropriately apprised of the finality with which the matter stands concluded in judicial record, they said.
Referring to the Supreme Court's verdict in Kamal Nath vs Election Commission of India, (2019), the sources said that top court had observed that it found force in the submission of EC.
Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression "text mode". The draft electoral roll in text mode has been supplied to the petitioner, the apex court had said.
"The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'. Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," the apex court had observed.
The Congress on Wednesday urged the EC to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list along with video footage of polling day of the state and Haryana within a week.
The Congress and Gandhi have consistently accused the poll authority of fudging voter data to help the BJP.
Gandhi has alleged that the Maharashtra assembly polls held last year were rigged.
The poll authority has denied the allegations, saying elections are strictly held under electoral laws passed by Parliament.
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If you have a conscience, apologize to the people: R Ashoka slams Yathindra over Nalwadi comparison
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.
