Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of favoritism towards the ruling Congress party in the lead-up to the Jubilee Hills by-election.
On Thursday, the BRS announced intentions to file petitions in both the High Court and the Supreme Court due to the Commission’s lack of action.
Party leaders expressed concerns over the ECI’s ongoing inaction, especially in light of alleged misuse of power and breaches of the Model Code of Conduct by the Congress party.
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During a press conference held at Telangana Bhavan, former MP B. Vinod Kumar and BRS general secretary Soma Bharat Kumar emphasised that neither Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sudarshan Reddy nor the ECI had addressed the numerous complaints, which were substantiated by evidence of violations committed by Congress leaders, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The BRS leaders said the Commission’s biased stance was diminishing public trust in democratic institutions.
Vinod Kumar mentioned that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had previously enforced a 48-hour campaign suspension on former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and former Minister G Jagadish Reddy for breaches of the Model Code of Conduct, but was demonstrating leniency towards Revanth Reddy.
“Isn’t it a breach when the Chief Minister threatens to halt welfare programs if people don’t vote for Congress? Or when Congress candidate Naveen Yadav intimidates BRS workers? Why is the Chief Electoral Officer remaining quiet?” he questioned.
The BRS leader noted that party chief Chandrashekhar Rao had appointed him and Bharat Kumar to represent the party in discussions with the Chief Election Commissioner. “We met the CEC in Delhi and inquired why no actions had been taken despite clear evidence,” he recalled, highlighting how former CEC TN Seshan once defied even the Prime Minister’s Office to maintain the ECI’s independence and the integrity of elections.
Bharat Kumar expressed that the Election Commission of India’s lack of action poses a significant risk to democracy. He called for the deployment of central forces in Jubilee Hills, claiming that the State police were operating under the influence of the Congress party. “When Revanth Reddy breaches the electoral code, the ECI does not respond. This leads to questions about the very existence of the Election Commission,” Bharat Kumar remarked.
