Election Commission Seeks Details From Congress Leader On Allegations Against Amit Shah

The Election Commission of India (EC) has requested detailed information from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding his allegations that Union Home Minister Amit Shah made phone calls to 150 district magistrates just days before the counting of votes.

District magistrates and collectors serve as the returning officers for their respective districts during elections.

Photo Credit: PTI

EC Demands Details from Congress Leader on Amit Shah Allegations

Despite no district magistrate reporting any undue influence to date, the poll body emphasized the need for specific details to address the issue in the "larger public interest," given the seriousness of the allegations made by a senior leader.

"The process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO (Returning Officer), and such public statements by a senior, responsible, and experienced leader tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserve to be addressed in larger public interest," the letter from the EC stated.

"Although no DM has reported any undue influence, the EC has sought details and information from Jairam Ramesh concerning the 150 DMs allegedly influenced by Amit Shah, as claimed by Ramesh and believed by him to be true," the letter added.

On Saturday, Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, alleged that Amit Shah had been calling district magistrates and collectors, engaging in "blatant and brazen" intimidation.

"The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is," Ramesh stated in a post on X.

"Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious," he asserted.

The EC insisted on receiving specific details to thoroughly address the allegations, considering the potential impact on public trust in the electoral process.