India’s election commission hit back on Thursday at claims of bias from frontrunner Narendra Modi, saying it “deplored” attempts to undermine its neutrality in the final stages of the marathon contest.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, election commission head VS Sampath said, “There shall never be a situation or an occasion where the commission will deviate from neutrality.”
“We deplore any attempt by anyone to cast aspersions on a constitutional institution like the Election Commission of India, adding that such allegations could cause long term damage to the independence and neutrality of the commission.
Sampath’s comments came after Modi accused the commission of bias by not sanctioning one of two rallies that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had planned to stage in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
After accusing the commission of failure to ensure “free and fair polls” in the last three phases of the six-week election, Modi said Sampath’s organisation had been “acting partially”.
Modi, who is standing for parliament in the holy city on the banks of the Ganges, was allowed to address another rally elsewhere in Varanasi which votes on Monday.
The commission has said it will not allow Modi to address supporters in the centre of the city on security grounds after his last such appearance drew crowds of more than 100,000.