Parties can’t dictate terms, impose suggestions: EC

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 18 

Terming senior Congress leader Kamal Nath’s petition alleging duplication of voters in the voters’ list in Madhya Pradesh as “completely frivolous”, the Election Commission on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that a political party cannot seek direction to it to conduct elections in a particular manner.

In his petition, Nath has also sought random verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh where the Congress is out of power for the last 15 years. 

He wanted random verification of VVPAT slips with EVM votes at 10 per cent of polling booths in every constituency “to ensure free and fair elections”. A similar petition has been filed by Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot.

The Supreme Court had on August 23 issued notice to the Election Commission on petitions filed by Nath and Pilot alleging duplication of voters in the voters' list in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which are to go to polls later this year.

The EC affidavit read, “The petitioner and the political party to which he stands affiliated cannot approach this court time and again so as to re-agitate the same issue and interfere in the functioning of a constitutional authority.” However, the EC said it was open to suggestions by all political parties. The suggestions made by the petitioner and the Congress had already been duly considered by it, the EC said, seeking dismissal of Nath’s petition.