The Congress has accused its ally, Omar Abdullah, of adopting a different stance on opposition issues since becoming the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. This criticism came after the National Conference leader dismissed allegations of EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) manipulation raised by the Congress and other opposition parties.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore clarified that recent allegations about EVMs, following the Maharashtra election results, were made by the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Samajwadi Party.
Tagore tweeted, “It’s the Samajwadi Party, NCP, and Shiv Sena UBT that have spoken against EVMs. Please check your facts, CM @OmarAbdullah. The Congress CWC resolution clearly addresses the ECI only. Why this approach to our partners after being CM?”
Doubts over EVM reliability resurfaced recently, with veteran politician Sharad Pawar questioning the Maharashtra poll results. His party, the NCP, recently split, with Ajit Pawar leading the faction now recognized as the “original” NCP. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress, suffered a crushing defeat, failing to win even 10% of the total seats. Opposition parties alleged discrepancies in the voting process.
The Congress Working Committee passed a resolution suggesting the poor performance was a “clear case of targeted manipulation” and questioned the “partisan functioning” of the Election Commission. Mr. Tagore shared this resolution in response to Omar Abdullah’s remarks.
Commenting on the issue, Omar Abdullah, a leader in the INDIA alliance, stated that political parties need to maintain consistency in their stance on EVMs. He argued that celebrating electoral victories achieved using EVMs while later questioning their reliability undermines credibility. He added that parties doubting the voting method should avoid contesting elections altogether.
Omar Abdullah’s National Conference and the Congress recently contested elections in Jammu and Kashmir as allies.