In what looked like a sarcastic reaction to Gujarat election scheduled coming today, the Congress party on Thursday said that the Election Commission of India is an “autonomous institution" that conducts “fair elections".
Congress’s remark comes on a day the Election Commission announced the dates for Gujarat Assembly election after a slight delay that the Grand Old Party has been claiming was due to PM Modi’s recent tour to the state.
“The Election Commission of India is an autonomous institution. It conducts fair elections," Congress tweeted on Thursday ahead of Election Commission’s press briefing.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to hit back and retweeted Congress’s post, saying it was “haar ka dar [fear of defeat]".
हार का डर। pic.twitter.com/SfbuPDTkk6— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 3, 2022
The Election Commission of India held a press conference on Thursday to announce the schedule of Gujrat Assembly polls 2022. Voting for the Gujarat Assembly Elections will take place in two phases, EC said, adding that the state will vote in the first phase on December 1 and in the second phase on December 5.
Counting of votes will take place on December 8.
The term of the 182-member Gujarat assembly ends on February 18, 2023. The schedule for Himachal Pradesh election 2022 was announced by the poll body on October 14. The Election Commission had cited the convention followed in 2017 and said that the Gujarat election schedule will be declared later.
The Congress party had alleged that announcement of schedule for Gujarat election was delayed deliberately by the Election Commission as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was touring the state.
While Kharge echoed the same claim on Monday, Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday (October 29) had also alleged that the Chief Election Commission (CEC) was “intentionally" holding back the announcement of the Gujarat Assembly poll dates so that PM Modi “can address more and more meetings and inaugurate or dedicate projects to the state to woo electorate".
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