On Saturday, the Indian National Congress hit out at the Election Commission of India for reducing the campaign ban on Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The grand old party of India said that it is a dark day for parliamentary democracy and history will not pardon the poll panel.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the EC, by posting on Twitter, “Election ‘Commission’.”

Also Read: EVM in car of a BJP leader-video released few hours after April 01 polls in Assam

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that it was deplorable that the ECI could not sustain its own order and accused the poll body of buckling under pressure of the Modi government in reducing the ban on Sarma from 48 hours to 24 hours.

Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar alleged that the ECI has failed to discharge its obligations as far as this case is concerned as such a thing has never happened in the annals of Parliamentary democracy that the poll body reverses its decision without seeking the comments of the complainant.

On Friday, the Election Commission had banned Sarma from all modes of campaigning for 48 hours for allegedly making threatening remarks against Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary.

However, on Saturday evening, it reduced the ban to 24 hours after the minister tendered an “unconditional apology” and assured that he will abide by the provisions of the model code.

“A dark day for Parliamentary democracy. ECI does not even have the guts to sustain its own order. Deplorable that EC buckles under Modi Government’s pressure and reverses its own order of ban on Sh. Himanta Biswa Sarma. History will neither pardon ECI nor BJP for this sin,” Surjewala said on Twitter.

Surjewala asked ECI why did it make this change of heart without seeking the comments of the complainant.  Former law minister Ashwani Kumar also commented that within 24 hours, the ECI without notice “to the complainant” has reversed its own decision of barring Sarma from campaigning, highlighting the disregard for the complainant.

He said, “This is unheard of in the annals of Parliamentary history that the chief election watchdog reverses its own decision made by a complainant without the courtesy of hearing him.”

The former minister asked whether Sarma’s punishment was reduced as he has to attend a rally with Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday.

He further stated, “We are raising a much larger issue of principle here. The issue about the sanctity, about the functioning and about the working of the chief election watchdog, whose constitutional mandate is to preserve the purity of the electoral process.”

“Does it now give a license to issue threat with impunity,” he further asked.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the ECI seems to have torn down the page of “impartiality” from its rulebook.

“While we were awaiting strict action from the Election Commission in the case in which an EVM was found in the BJP leader’s car, another move of the Commission seems to suggest that it has torn down the page of impartiality from its rulebook,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.

“After all, under what pressure was the ban on BJP leader, who was giving threats, reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours,” she asked.

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Election Commission has transferred brother of Himanta Biswa Sarma and Goalpara Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma from the district. An order issued by the ECI on Friday said that Sushanta Biswa Sarma shall be transferred to some suitable post in the state police. Its order outlined that another officer would be made Superintendent of Police of Goalpara district, which will go to polls in the third and last phase on April 6.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has an incumbent government in Assam with the party’s Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief minister. In the last assembly polls in 2016, the BJP formed its maiden government in the northeastern state after defeating the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The parties in alliance along with Congress are the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation, All India United Democratic Front, the Anchalik Gana Marcha (AGM), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Assam elections would be held from March 27, in 3 phases, as announced by ECI.

A total of 264 candidates were in the fray in 47 constituencies which went to polls in the first phase. For 39 assembly seats in the second phase of Assam election 2021, 345 contestants were contesting, while 337 candidates will try their luck in 40 constituencies during the third phase of polling. There are a total of 33,530 polling booths in the state this year, an increase of 34.71% from the last assembly elections held in 2016 in Assam.

The vote counting for the Assam Assembly election 2021 will be conducted on May 02, however, it will be concluded on Tuesday, May 04.