Opposition urge ECI to control ED, vet raids, arrest of its leaders

New Delhi: Senior leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc met Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Friday submitting a memorandum expressing concerns over the alleged misuse of central agencies by the ruling party to target Opposition. They demanded that any raids or arrests be vetted by the Commission or a designated committee to prevent false targeting of Opposition members and ensure a level playing field.

The memorandum highlighted the “unrelenting, blatant, and illegal deployment” of Central agencies, which the Opposition leaders perceive as a threat to the sanctity of free and fair elections, fundamental to democracy.

The delegation, comprising 10 leaders including Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi and K.C. Venugopal from Congress, Derek O'Brien from TMC, and Sitaram Yechury from CPM, emphasised the need for the Election Commission to intervene to restore faith in the electoral process.

Jitendra Awhad of the NCP Pawar faction expressed concerns over waning trust in government agencies, labelling the situation as a "death of democracy." Sitaram Yechury stressed the importance of maintaining a level playing field, especially during the election period.

Dr Singhvi submitted a dossier detailing the alleged misuse of agencies against Opposition leaders, urging the Election Commission to take action. He questioned why the Commission, which has the authority to change officials like the DGP and secretary, does not exercise control over these agencies.

In a separate development, the Congress conducted its fifth Central Election Committee meeting, chaired by party President Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Discussions primarily focused on seat allocations in Tamil Nadu and other constituencies slated for the first and second phases of elections. The party is expected to release its next list of candidates soon.