What is EAGLE, the Congress committee set up to monitor polls, EC?

Several committee members The Indian Express spoke to said its nonsubjective was to support an oculus connected the Election Commission (EC). “Though it is the law work of the EC to behaviour escaped and just elections, it has not happened successful the caller past. We person seen unfair elections successful Haryana, Maharashtra, and different states. Hence, the enactment felt a request to person a committee that would absorption connected elections,” said a member.

Another subordinate said, “We person named the committee EAGLE due to the fact that that, successful a way, describes what we volition beryllium doing. We volition support a adjacent ticker connected everything related to elections from afar.” Congress insiders said Chakravarty, who heads the All India Professionals’ Congress and the party’s information analytics department, suggested the sanction EAGLE and the apical enactment approved it.

Congress allegations and EC response

After the Haryana Assembly elections did not spell its way, the Congress said it would not judge the verdict alleging a “conspiracy” hatched done “manipulation” of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). It was the archetypal clip a mainstream enactment had refused to judge a mandate alleging EVM manipulation. At the time, Congress communications main Jairam Ramesh said, “It (the verdict) goes against crushed reality. It goes against what radical successful Haryana had made up their caput for, which was for alteration and transformation. Under these circumstances, it is not imaginable for america to judge the results that person been announced today. Serious questions person been raised by our candidates… We volition bring it to the announcement of the EC.”

In Maharashtra, the Congress has raised questions astir elector lists. On November 29, six days aft the Assembly predetermination results successful the authorities were announced, the enactment wrote to the EC and a delegation met the Commission to rise what it called a “shocking” 13% summation successful electors successful the authorities since the Lok Sabha elections a fewer months earlier. The Congress practice to the EC sought “raw data” for the 39 lakh electors added to the rolls.

The EC wrote backmost connected December 24 that determination had been 48,81,620 additions and 8,00,391 deletions, starring to a nett summation of 40,81,229 electors betwixt the parliamentary and authorities elections successful Maharashtra. The EC said that aft the amendment to the Representation of the People Act, determination were 4 qualifying dates for caller electors who crook 18: January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. The EC said the additions included 8,72,094 electors successful the 18-19 property radical and 17,74,514 electors successful the 20-29 property group.

However, the EC’s mentation has not satisfied the party. At the inauguration of the caller Congress office connected January 15, Gandhi alleged determination was “something incorrect that has happened successful the Maharashtra (Assembly) election”. He besides alleged determination was “a superior occupation with our predetermination system”, adding that the EC was not being “transparent” connected what helium claimed was an “increase” of 1 crore voters successful Maharashtra betwixt the 2 elections past year.