The Congress on Monday strongly criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of “brazen defiance” of the Supreme Court’s directive to accept Aadhaar as a valid identity document for voter registration.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the poll body was “deliberately obstructing” the registration of genuine voters. “For the third time, the Supreme Court has made it clear that Aadhaar must be accepted as valid identification for registering voters. Yet, the Election Commission continues to create hurdles, refusing to recognize booth-level agents appointed by parties and even issuing instructions that only its chosen documents should be accepted,” Ramesh alleged.
He further stated that the current Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, and the institution he leads “will not be forgiven by history” for disregarding the apex court’s repeated clarifications.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) also welcomed the ruling, calling it a step forward in protecting democratic rights. TMC’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, described the order as a “big win for democracy.” Party MP Mahua Moitra echoed the sentiment on X, saying the verdict would make “vote theft and mass disenfranchisement” more difficult.
While both opposition parties hailed the Supreme Court’s stance, they stressed that much more needs to be done to ensure free and fair elections in the country.