ECI slams Congress claim on Uttarakhand panchayat polls, calls it 'incorrect and misleading'

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday strongly refuted allegations made by the Congress party regarding alleged irregularities in the Uttarakhand Panchayat elections, terming the claims “incorrect and misleading.”

The controversy erupted after the official Congress handle on X shared a video alleging that the ECI had failed to act against nominations whose names appeared in more than one electoral roll.

The post further claimed that despite directions from the Uttarakhand High Court, the ECI refused to delete such duplicate entries, leading to the Supreme Court imposing a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the poll panel. The Congress described this as “vote theft” and accused the BJP and ECI of colluding to subvert democracy.

Responding sharply, the Election Commission issued a fact-check through its official X handle, clarifying that the Congress post was factually wrong. “This post is incorrect and misleading,” the ECI said, underlining that Panchayat and Municipal elections are not conducted by the Election Commission of India but by State Election Commissions (SECs).

Quoting Article 324 of the Constitution, the ECI stressed that its mandate is limited to conducting elections to: “Parliament, the legislature of every state, and the offices of President and Vice President.”

All Panchayat and Municipal elections fall under the jurisdiction of the respective State Election Commissions, not the ECI, the poll panel explained.

The Commission also shared an official link to explain the difference in roles and responsibilities between the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissions.

The clarification comes amid heightened political sparring, with the Congress targeting the poll body in the run-up to upcoming state and local elections.

While the opposition has raised concerns over alleged voter list discrepancies, the ECI has consistently maintained that state poll bodies alone are responsible for Panchayat-level elections.

By flagging the Congress post as misleading, the Commission sought to underline the constitutional separation of powers and reaffirm public trust in its impartial functioning.

--IANS

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