Congress forms panel to monitor ‘conduct of free and fair elections’ 

Congress leader Ajay Maken addressing the media at DPCC on Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi on February 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Congress constituted an eight-member committee — Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) — to monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India, on Sunday (February 2, 2025). 

The move comes more than two months after the Maharashtra Assembly election results, when the party, pointing out the vast difference in the voting pattern between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections had raised a red flag on possible electoral fraud.

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The committee will first take up the Maharashtra “voters’ list manipulation” issue, and submit a detailed report to the leadership at the earliest, the party said in a statement.

The panel includes Congress treasurer Ajay Maken and senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Singhvi, Praveen Chakravarty and Pawan Khera. Besides, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy are also part of the panel.

Besides Maharashtra, EAGLE will also analyse past elections in other States, and “proactively monitor upcoming elections” and all other issues related to the conduct of “free and fair elections in the country”, a press note signed by party’s General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said. The panel will also closely monitor the upcoming Delhi Assembly election, scheduled for February 5, 2025.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi while addressing Congress leaders at the inauguration of the new party headquarters on January 15, had alleged there has been an increase of nearly one crore voters between Maharashtra Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but the Election Commission is neither answering the queries raised by the Opposition nor giving the lists of voters. He further alleged that there is a “serious problem” with the country’s election system and urged the Election Commission to ensure there is transparency in elections.

After the setback in Haryana elections in October, the party similarly had raised questions, alleging tampering of EVMs. The party’s internal committee set up to probe the results, headed by senior leader Karan Dalal, while releasing its interim report on December 23 claimed that there was a “gross mismatch” in the figures of voters polled and counted.