Author: Supriya Jena

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India’s Parliament) had to stop working for the day without getting anything done because of a loud argument between ruling party and opposition members. The conflict arose over a notice of no-confidence against the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, and a discussion about billionaire George Soros.

When the Rajya Sabha met at noon, J P Nadda, the Leader of the House, criticized the Congress party for supposedly siding with George Soros, claiming that they were trying to make India unstable. He called for a discussion to explain what the Congress party’s leaders have to do with Soros and how that affects India’s safety and sovereignty.

Nadda argued that the Congress party was trying to distract everyone from the real issues by targeting the Chairman. He accused them of being a part of a foreign influence that threatens India’s integrity. He said that the way Congress criticized the Chairman was disrespectful and should be condemned by everyone.

Despite Nadda’s statements, the uproar from the opposition continued, and the Rajya Sabha has faced multiple interruptions over the last three days because of the George Soros issue.

Controversial phrases, like “vote jihad,” used by some political parties during the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, are being closely looked at by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Dr. Kiran Kulkarni, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer for Maharashtra, shared this news in an interview on Wednesday. He mentioned that over 650 cases of breaking election rules were reported during these elections. The enforcement agencies will work hard to resolve these cases properly.

When asked about the phrase “vote jihad,” Kulkarni said that the ECI is carefully studying its meaning in legal, language, and social contexts before deciding what to do next. He emphasized the need to be cautious with such terms since they can have serious effects. “Vote jihad” is a new term that requires deep understanding, and officials are considering all its implications.

Regarding whether these controversial phrases impact the election conversations, Kulkarni warned against making quick judgments. He explained that understanding words and their meanings takes time. There isn’t a strict legal system for new terms, so it’s important to handle these issues with care.

The elections for the 288-seat Maharashtra legislative assembly took place on November 20, with votes counted three days later. The election rules started on October 15. Kulkarni reported 659 cases of election code violations, which is much higher than the 366 cases seen in the previous Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. He highlighted that agencies did a good job during the Lok Sabha elections, filing 300 chargesheets in courts.

For the assembly elections, Kulkarni said they are keeping a close watch on all cases. Investigating agencies are actively working, and all charges will be submitted to courts to ensure justice. He noted that the speed of these proceedings depends on the courts, which take election-related crimes seriously.

On hate speech issues, Kulkarni explained that they look into these complaints using the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Some complaints have been confirmed as true, leading to cases filed under the law. However, he clarified that the model code of conduct is not a strict law—it’s more of a guideline.

Kulkarni dismissed claims of booth capturing during the elections, stating that Maharashtra has a strong electoral system. He assured that such incidents have never occurred in the state. With electronic voting machines (EVMs), there’s no way to tamper, as the data is safely stored. There were some reports of voting disruptions but these issues were resolved quickly, sometimes even by replacing an EVM to ease concerns.