Congress Central Election Authority Chairperson Madhusudan Mistry on Thursday accused defeated presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor’s chief election agent Salman Soz of showing “one face” to him claiming that they were satisfied with the election process and showing another by running to the media making allegations against the process.
The letter came even as Tharoor called on party president Sonia Gandhi. Sources close to Tharoor described the meeting as a “courtesy call”.
In a four-page letter, Mistry rebutted charges levelled by Soz and said he tried creating a 'mountain out of a mole' by giving an impression that the entire exercise was unfair to Tharoor.
Referring to Soz’s remarks in his complaint that the Tharoor team kept quiet in the party’s interest and they experienced “unjust and unfair” treatment that prevented them a level playing field, Mistry said the CEA provided them a list of all voters two days before Tharoor filed nominations and subsequently another list later with phone numbers.
“You alleged in the media that you did not receive phone numbers for 3,000 voters despite the fact that you and (Mallikarjun) Kharge both received approximately 9,400 phone numbers which were available with us,” he said.
Mistry then referred to changing the marking of vote using the numeral ‘1’ to a tick mark after Tharoor’s team raised objections but "despite that they went to the media accusing the CEA of conspiring against the candidate."
“I am sorry to say that you had one face before me which communicated that you are satisfied with all our answers and action and a different face in the media which made all these allegations against us,” Mistry said in his letter to Soz.
Soz in his letter to Mistry had alleged that the facts are "damning" and the election process in Uttar Pradesh is "devoid of credibility and integrity".