EC must course correct to regain lost credibility, says Congress

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma claimed on Saturday that the Election Commission (EC) is losing credibility and people’s trust, while asserting that the issues raised by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, must be addressed.

Sharma also said the poll body has to do “course correction” to regain its lost credibility. The former Union minister’s remarks came a day after Gandhi asserted that “vote chori (vote theft) is an anti-national act” and accused the ECI of gaslighting citizens. Gandhi’s comments came following a row over the quality of the “indelible” ink used in marker pens in the Maharashtra civic polls.

The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has said it will conduct a thorough probe into the quality of the ink in the marker pens used for the civic polls, after opposition leaders alleged that the mark on a voter’s finger could be removed easily, enabling bogus voting.