Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: As the country gets set for counting of votes of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress on Saturday accused Home Minister Amit Shah of calling 150 District Magistrates across the country in an attempt to influence the outcome of polls.
Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh called it a "blatant and brazen intimidation", which showed "how desperate the BJP is".
Ramesh said the "outgoing" Home Minister has been calling up District Magistrates/Collectors and so far, he has "spoken to 150 of them". The District Magistrates or Collectors as Returning Officers lead the process of counting of votes.
"Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4, Mr Modi, Mr Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the I.N.D.I.A 'Janbandhan' will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch," Ramesh posted on 'X'.
Ramesh's claims came on a day the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections were held. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
There have been allegations raised by I.N.D.I.A partners earlier that the official machinery was misused to favour their rivals in Assembly elections on counting day.
During a meeting of I.N.D.I.A leaders here on Saturday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav recalled the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections and how things went to the wire in some constituencies where the RJD and its allies lost.
The meeting was specifically called to strategise on the counting day. At the meeting, sources said leaders discussed what went wrong in the previous elections and it was decided that those I.N.D.I.A partners in counting halls will not leave it till all formalities are finished.
Sources said earlier there were occasions when Opposition functionaries left the counting halls before the process was over and they were not getting an opportunity to sometimes challenge the results.
After the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the meeting discussed precautions to be taken on the counting day on June 4.
Sources said instructions have also been given to their workers about Form 17 C -- which contains the break-up of the number of votes polled -- and not to get out of the counting hall until he or she gets the certificate of election.
"The fight is still not over, and the leaders and workers of all the parties are extremely alert. I thank each one of them for their esteemed presence," Kharge said.
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