Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday described Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah of making calls to 150 District Magistrates to influence the outcome as a part of a larger “fake narrative” peddled routinely at the time of the parliamentary polls.

Rajiv Kumar’s assertion at a press conference came on a day when the Election Commission of India (ECI) refused to give Congress general secretary (communications) Ramesh an extension to reply to the notice issued to him for making serious allegations against Shah.

The Congress leader had sought a week’s time to submit his response to the ECI letter. Congress sources said he will file his response “soon.”

Ramesh was directed by the ECI to file his response with a ‘factual matrix’ by 7 pm on Monday with a warning that compliance failure will invite ‘appropriate action.’

“I am directed to refer to your letter dated June 3, 2024, in response to the Commission’s letter of even number dated June 2, 2024, whereby you have sought an extension of one week to file a detailed reply,” ECI said in a letter addressed to Jairam Ramesh on Monday.

The Commission made it clear in the official communication to Ramesh that “failing which it would be presumed that you have nothing substantive to say in the matter and the Commission would proceed ahead to take appropriate action.”

The Commission was miffed since it stated that allegations that attempts were made by Shah to influence the DMs of 150 Lok Sabha seats, who are also the Returning Officers and District Election Officers, has serious connotation and direct bearing on the sanctity of the counting process scheduled for Tuesday.

The ECI said no DM reported any undue influence as alleged by the Congress leader.

‘Fake narratives’

Meanwhile, CEC Rajiv Kumar said one of the three learnings of this election is that they should have been well prepared for tackling “fake narratives” which, as per him, was circulated even at the time of 2019 elections.

Insisting that there is a pattern and design to it, Kumar said, “this is fake narrative which is going on. We failed to understand that. We admit that. Now we know.” The CEC, however, ruled out that the fake narrative came from abroad and conceived and peddled from within the country.

“We never realised the fake narrative. First, it came that voter list was wrong. We prepared a long affidavit to reply to those allegations. Then it emerged that things were alright. Tomorrow the elections will be over, tell us where it was wrong. Two to four per cent might be here and there... in some villages.. 98 per cent is right. The attempt was to ignite some spark at the time of elections,” Kumar said in his detailed clarification on such issues raised by opposition throughout the elections.

“After the election started, the EVM (issue) started. A case followed. What was that case? Let us see it. I’m serious about it. What it could have done? It could have spread anarchy. When the political contestation is so heavy, workers are charged, candidates are competing against each other, if they realise this could lead to mess, the issue would have spread like a fire,” he also explained.

There was a case of EVM lodged in 2023 and our reply has been pending since then. But the whole issue was raked up before the first phase of voting, the CEC said. “Same thing happened exactly four days before 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he flagged.

He asked why didn’t opposition parties bring the issue before the Commission in between 2019 to 2024. “There is a pattern, there is a design... Let’s understand that,” he observed.

Another case was pending on voter turnout from 2019, he said. “We had responded to it in July 2022. That was also fake... What was the allegation? We did not give voter turnout data and increased it by 1 crore. Neither we delay sharing of voter turnout data nor can we increase even one voter,” the CEC asserted.

The opposition parties had questioned 11 days delay in sharing polling percentage after the first phase of voting on April 19.

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