New Delhi: Congress, which has recently accused the Election Commission (EC) of wrongdoing, is facing online criticism over claims that it had earlier offered posts, awards and other benefits to former election commissioners during its years in power.
The report notes that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner’s “SIR” action led to the theft of crores of votes across the country. In response, social media users and commentators have questioned whether Congress is in a position to level such accusations.
As cited in the report, former Chief Election Commissioner K.V.K. Sundaram (1958–1967) later became Law Commission chairman and received the Padma Vibhushan. Nagendra Singh (1972–73) and R.K. Trivedi (1982–85) also received the Padma Vibhushan, with Trivedi later serving as a Governor.
The report further lists V.S. Ramadevi (CEC in 1990) as later appointed Himachal Pradesh Governor under the I.K. Gujral government supported by Congress. It mentions T.N. Seshan (1990–1996) later entering electoral politics, including contesting as a Congress candidate against L.K. Advani in 1999.
It also notes that M.S. Gill (1996–2001) later became a Congress Rajya Sabha MP and served as a Union minister under the Manmohan Singh government. J.M. Lyngdoh (2001–2004) received the Ramon Magsaysay Award and was later associated with conducting Youth Congress elections, while N. Gopalaswami (2006–2009) later received the Padma Vibhushan. The report additionally claims that former Election Commissioner Navin Chawla was considered close to Sonia Gandhi and that political leaders have alleged he took decisions after consulting her.
