'Grow a spine or resign': Several rights groups tell EC for 'inaction' against poll code violations

Bengaluru: Several rights groups in different parts of the country on Saturday undertook a campaign urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ‘grow a spine or resign’.

The joint campaign was held to “hold the ECI accountable for its inaction against violations of the MCC and laws during the Lok Sabha elections.”

During the day, a joint complaint was submitted through the offices of the Chief Electoral Officers in state capitals including Bengaluru,
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and a letter was also submitted to the office of the Chief Election Commissioner in Delhi.

“This collective of organisations and concerned citizens also undertook a postcard campaign in which hundreds of postcards were sent to ECI, Delhi, from various cities containing the image of a spine - thereby demanding the Election Commission to ‘grow a spine or resign’,” the participants said in a statement.

They also highlighted several issues: voter turnout data shared only in percentages and not in numbers, rising concerns about manipulation of the vote count, failure to combat hate speech during elections, acting only against MCC violations by opposition parties but letting the ruling party off the hook, failure to take action against surrogate ads and failure to address the withdrawal of candidates, threats to candidates.

The organisations, including People’s Union for Civil Liberties, National Alliance for People’s Movements, Bahutva Karnataka and All India Lawyers Association for Justice, undertook a national-level campaign on May 11 across several cities. “Along with these organisations, the letter was signed by 222 people from various walks of life, including lawyers, activists, filmmakers, academics and concerned citizens,” they said.