Election Commission a puppet of the BJP, says Congress

GUWAHATI, 03/06/2008: A file picture of Assam Education Minister Ripun Bora who was arrested by the CBI while he was allegedly trying to bribe one of its officials in New Delhi. Bora has been arrested red handed while he was trying to give a bribe of Rs.1 lakh (Rs.100,000) to a CBI official, the bureau said. He was arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar 03-06-2008

The Assam Congress has accused the Election Commission of being a “puppet” of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

State Congress president and Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora on Wednesday said the poll panel had been partisan towards the BJP. “The Commission ignored several complaints of poll code violations by the BJP. This shows it has become a puppet,” he said.

Mr. Bora also said the government machinery was partial towards the BJP throughout the electoral process. “But all their efforts will not save the BJP from defeat. The very fact that the voter turnout was more than 81% indicated the people want change,” he said, adding that the Congress would win at least eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. The BJP had virtually accepted defeat in Assam and elsewhere in the country, he said. “The body language of Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it all,” he said.