New Delhi, 4 February 2025: As Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of surrendering to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning whether he had been promised a post-retirement appointment, the Election Commission responded on Tuesday, asserting that it would not be influenced by “repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI.”
Speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal claimed the Election Commission (EC) had become ineffective.
“The way the Election Commission has surrendered before the BJP, it seems as if it does not exist. People are justified in questioning whether Rajiv Kumar Ji, who is set to retire this month, has been offered a position—perhaps as a governor or even president,” he said.
Urging Kumar to act impartially, Kejriwal added, “I request Rajiv Kumar Ji with folded hands—do your duty, give up the desire for the post, and do not destroy the country’s democracy at the end of your career.”
The remarks came as Kejriwal continued to accuse BJP candidate Parvesh Verma of distributing cash in the New Delhi constituency and criticized the EC for inaction.
Earlier this month, the poll panel had sought an explanation from him over his claim that the BJP government in Haryana was poisoning Delhi’s Yamuna water supply. In his response, Kejriwal maintained that his remarks were made in the context of an “urgent public health crisis.”
A day after his accusations, the Election Commission responded on Tuesday, asserting that it would not be influenced by “repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI.”
In a post on X, the poll panel, without naming Kejriwal or AAP, stated, “The three-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliberate pressure tactics to malign ECI in the Delhi elections, as if it is a single-member body, and decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity, stoically, and not to be swayed by such insinuations.”
The EC further stated that all actions on complaints raised by political parties and candidates are taken by over 1.5 lakh officials working under an established legal framework with strict protocols to ensure fairness and non-partisan conduct.
Delhi votes on Wednesday, with results set to be declared on February 8.
