Hyderabad: The Congress party on Wednesday strongly criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing public notices to CWC member Pawan Khera and Telangana leader Kota Neelima. It accused the poll body of acting on false allegations and ignoring legal procedure.
Earlier, the ECI had issued notices following claims amplified by BJP-affiliated social media accounts that both leaders possessed two Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs). Congress rebutted the allegation, stating both Khera and Neelima had filed Form 6 in 2017 to shift their voter registrations. The party also presented official documents to prove this.
Congress leaders said the ECI failed to process these applications despite having access to them for over eight years. Instead of correcting the oversight, the Commission issued new EPICs and later served public notices. Congress called the notices factually baseless and alleged they were designed to malign the leaders.
Congress questions motive, flags ECI lapse
At a press conference at AICC headquarters in Delhi, senior Supreme Court advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the timing of the notices was no coincidence. “This comes exactly when the Opposition is raising concerns about ‘Vote Chori’ and misconduct by the ECI,” he said.
Dr. Singhvi added that by publicly releasing the notice to Pawan Khera, the Commission had already pre-judged the matter. “This has no legal basis under the Representation of the People Act or its Rules,” he said, describing the move as entirely outside the legal framework.
Congress calls disclosure of personal data unlawful
Kota Neelima faced a similar notice despite following due procedure for voter address relocation, Congress said. Yet, the ECI shared her residential details publicly without consent via official social media handles.
“The publicity around these notices sparked adverse media coverage and ignored basic privacy protections,” Singhvi said. He argued that even minimal due diligence could have avoided the episode entirely.
