Congress says will form govt; BJP attacks Election Commission

On the eve of the ninth and last polling day in Indian general elections 2014, the political scenario remains as inscrutable and baffling as it was on April 7, the first phase of polling.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a universally acknowledged frontrunner in the battle of the ballot and a strong favorite for forming the next government, the Congress is in no mood to throw in the towel as its top leaders have made tall claims that the Congress may well be in for chance to form the next government with the help of allies.
Congress leader Ajay Maken said it is impossible for BJP leader Narendra Modi to become prime minister as he won’t have “adequate seats and allies.” Finance Minister P Chidambaram has already said that the Congress was in with a “very good chance” to form the next government. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “We are not contemplating possibility of sitting in the opposition; we are on our path to victory.”
This may all well be a bit of bravado and posturing on the eve of last phase of polling in crucial states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, but what is baffling is the BJP’s frontal assault on the Election Commission, a constitutional body.
Several BJP leaders, including the party’s prime ministerial candidate Modi, have unleashed a barrage of criticism against the EC. On Sunday, the recent blog posting by BJP’s top leader Arun Jaitley became a point of heated discussion in Indian political corridors.
Jaitley, who is already being projected as India’s next finance minister if the party comes into power on May 16, accused the EC of using the security card selectively, favoring the Congress party at the cost of the BJP and even called the three wise men heading the EC as “timid men.”
He wrote thus: “I cannot conceal my disappointment with the Election Commission. Men in constitutional offices need to be bolder. Timid men can dwarf high offices.”
He also bemoaned the EC has been scrutinizing BJP leaders all the time and said: “By condoning the Returning Officer’s stand on ‘No-Modi rally’ in Varanasi city the Election Commission has used the security card to prevent Narendra Modi’s right to campaign in his constituency. If you can’t ensure security, don’t hold the polls in the country. But if you do hold the polls please provide a level playing field. You cannot deny the candidate the right to campaign. Rahul Gandhi can have a road show in Varanasi but Narendra Modi cannot have a rally. The security card is selectively used.”
The Congress dismissed the BJP’s “desperate” attack on the EC and Abhishek Singhvi described it as a a sign of “big loser” preemptively attacking the umpire.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, a senior minister of Uttar Pradesh, added his own twist in the Indian political tale by accusing the EC of favoring the BJP and said: “The Election Commission is acting like the BJP’s election office.”