Congress Forms EAGLE Committee to Monitor Elections and the Election Commission
The Eight-Member Panel Aims to Keep a Close Watch on Election Integrity and Address Allegations of Malpractices
In a move to ensure the integrity of elections, the Congress party has established an eight-member Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE), designed to monitor elections across India and oversee the conduct of the Election Commission of India (EC). The committee, which will report directly to Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was formed in response to the party’s claims of electoral malpractices following their losses in the 2023 Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The EAGLE committee’s primary task is to observe the Election Commission’s role in conducting free and fair elections. Congress leaders have raised concerns over alleged electoral manipulation, particularly following the party's defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra. The committee will initially focus on Maharashtra, where there are allegations regarding the rise in voter numbers, as well as the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on February 5.
The members of EAGLE include senior Congress leaders such as Ajay Maken, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty, Pawan Khera, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy. Several committee members explained that the purpose of the group is to monitor the Election Commission closely. One member emphasized that, while the EC is constitutionally responsible for conducting free and fair elections, recent elections have been marred by unfair practices, prompting the need for this oversight.
Another committee member explained that the name "EAGLE" was chosen to represent their "bird’s eye view" approach to elections, with a focus on staying informed from a distance. The name was reportedly suggested by Praveen Chakravarty, who leads the party's data analytics department and heads the All India Professionals’ Congress.
Congress Allegations Against the Election Commission
The formation of the EAGLE committee follows Congress’s allegations of manipulation during the Haryana and Maharashtra elections. After the Haryana Assembly elections, Congress claimed that the results were manipulated through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), an unprecedented accusation by a major political party. Congress Communications Chief Jairam Ramesh had questioned the results, alleging that they did not align with the public sentiment in Haryana, and called for an investigation by the Election Commission.
In Maharashtra, Congress has raised concerns regarding the sudden increase in voter rolls ahead of the state assembly elections. On November 29, six days after the elections, the party formally complained to the EC about a "shocking" 13% increase in electors compared to the Lok Sabha elections earlier in the year. Congress requested access to raw data to investigate the addition of 39 lakh voters to the state’s electoral rolls.
In response, the Election Commission clarified on December 24 that there had been a net increase of 40,81,229 voters between the parliamentary and state elections, attributing the rise to changes in voter registration rules under the Representation of the People Act. The EC also explained that many of the new electors were in the 18-19 and 20-29 age groups. Despite this explanation, Congress has remained dissatisfied and continues to question the transparency of the process.
At the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters on January 15, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his concerns about the Maharashtra election results, alleging that something was "wrong" with the electoral process. Gandhi also expressed his frustrations with the Election Commission’s handling of voter lists, accusing them of a lack of transparency.
The formation of the EAGLE committee underscores Congress’s ongoing scrutiny of the electoral process and its calls for greater accountability from the Election Commission, as the party prepares for upcoming state and national elections.