Posters Accusing INDIA Bloc of ‘Double Standards’ on ECI Surface Ahead of Opposition Meet in Delhi

Posters accusing opposition leaders of “double standards” over their positions on the Election Commission of India (ECI) have surfaced around the Constitution Club in New Delhi, ahead of a scheduled meeting of the INDIA bloc on Wednesday to discuss a common strategy against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The posters accuse opposition leaders of questioning the Election Commission when they lose elections while praising it after electoral victories. The INDIA bloc meeting is expected to focus on accountability over alleged electoral impropriety and concerns raised by opposition parties about the electoral process.

One of the posters read: “When the answer changes with the scoreboard. Peak celebration every time they win, vote chori allegation every time they lose. ECI right or wrong? It just depends on whether they’re the winner.”

The posters featured photographs of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, DMK president M. K. Stalin, Congress social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

One poster highlighted Akhilesh Yadav’s reported appreciation of the ECI after the Samajwadi Party’s electoral victory in 2017, contrasting it with his criticism of the poll body following the party’s defeat in 2022. The poster carried the remark, “How convenient, pookie!”

Another poster depicted Rahul Gandhi with luggage and referred to his absence from the Bihar election campaign. It read: “Videshi dharti par masti mei the chur, 59 din Bihar campaign se rahe door. Lekin jab janata ne natija sunaya, to sawal ECI par uthaya. Aaye der se, ilzaam ghadi par.”

The message roughly translates to: “Overjoyed on foreign soil, he stayed away from the Bihar campaign for 59 days. But when the public announced the results, he questioned the Election Commission. He arrived late, and the blame fell on the clock.”

Another poster carried the slogan: “INDI Alliance ka doglapan. Jeete to ECI ko taali, hare to ECI ko gaali,” accusing the alliance of praising the Election Commission after victories and criticising it after defeats.

The INDIA bloc meeting comes amid acknowledgements from some opposition leaders that the alliance does not have the numbers in Parliament required to remove the Chief Election Commissioner. Opposition parties, however, intend to demonstrate unity over what they describe as concerns about the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.

The meeting follows a Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution adopted a day earlier, demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and restoration of voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls.

Congress leaders have said they will raise the issues discussed at the CWC meeting before the broader opposition platform.

The meeting also comes against the backdrop of political setbacks for the opposition bloc in several states and its failure to unseat the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, one of the original proponents of opposition unity, remains aligned with the BJP.

The discussions are expected to test the bloc’s ability to present a coordinated position on the Election Commission and the issues raised by its constituent parties.