Bengaluru, Nov 14 (IANS) Karnataka Congress MLC B.K. Hariprasad said on Friday that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is acting like a unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and ensured the NDA’s victory.

“Ironically, this is a wonderful result. I convey my best regards to the Election Commission of India for these results. I congratulate the agency. About 65 lakh names of voters in Bihar were removed from the electoral rolls, and these results are the performance of the Election Commission,” he said.

Hariprasad added that to destroy all democratic norms and practices, the Election Commission is acting like a unit of the RSS.

“BJP is a political party associated with the RSS. The ECI is indulging in destroying the country’s democratic system. If they have removed the names of 65 lakh voters during the state assembly election, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is a remarkable job by the Election Commission,” he said.

When asked about people not responding to the agitation launched by the Congress and INDIA bloc allies regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Hariprasad said that when people were not even allowed to cast their votes, no conclusion can be drawn from their response.

“Had people been allowed to exercise their franchise, the results would have been different,” he said.

He further alleged that the removal of 65 lakh names from the voters’ list was mainly to ensure that those opposed to the BJP did not get a chance to vote. In this context, he added, the Election Commission has delivered a great performance, and he would like to congratulate them.

Responding to the setback for the Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar Assembly polls, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that one has to bow down to the mandate of the people.

Commenting on the Bihar Assembly election results, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said that they will accept whatever mandate the people have given.

“We will use this as a lesson to devise a new strategy for the future,” he said.

–IANS

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