Mon Dec 23 14:15:04 UTC 2024: ## TN Congress Leader Condemns Amendment Allowing Election Records Withholding
**Chennai, December 23, 2024** – Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai has strongly criticized the central government’s amendment to election procedures, which allows the Election Commission of India (ECI) to withhold election-related records. This move follows a Punjab and Haryana High Court order compelling the ECI to release EVM records, CCTV footage, and other data in response to alleged discrepancies in the Haryana Assembly election.
Selvaperunthagai highlighted significant discrepancies between provisional and final vote counts in several recent elections, citing an 8% disparity in Maharashtra, alongside irregularities in Jharkhand and Haryana. He presented a scenario illustrating the impossibility of accommodating the number of votes cast in one instance, suggesting systemic issues.
He further condemned the amendment, stating that it exempts the ECI from providing documents even when requested by courts. This, he argues, undermines the ECI’s credibility and represents an attack on democracy by the Modi administration. The amendment effectively overturns a previous rule mandating the release of all election-related records to petitioners. Selvaperunthagai accused the ECI of becoming a puppet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
First Piper 