Haryana polls: Misleading trends on ECI website, says Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

Ramesh also requested the poll watchdog to issue “immediate directions” to officials to update the website with true and accurate figures

Congress leader and general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday wrote to Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging ‘inordinate and unacceptable’ delay in updating trends in the counting of votes of the recently concluded polls in Haryana.

He asked whether the BJP trying to build pressure on the administration by sharing “outdated and misleading” trends. (ANI file photo)

“Over the last two hours between 9-11am, there has been an unexplained slowdown in updating of results on the ECI’s website,” said Ramesh in the letter addressed to the chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

“You can see examples of it already playing out on social media. Our fear is also that such narratives can then be used by these mala fide actors to influence processes where counting is still underway, i.e. in most of the counting centres,” he wrote.

Ramesh also requested the poll watchdog to issue “immediate directions” to officials to update the website with true and accurate figures so that “false news and malicious narratives can be countered immediately.”

“Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to- date trends on the ECI website. Is the BJP trying to build pressure on administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends @ECISVEEP?”, he also posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

A reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is awaited and the copy will be updated whenever it is received.