Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav has said the Election Commission does not function under the government’s pressure and with political bias as it is governed by its own laws and regulations.

Addressing an orientation programme for election observers organised by the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC), Yadav defended the commission’s decision in connection with the election dispute in Bharatpur Metropolis.

He emphasised the need for toeing the Supreme Court’s decision as the ballot counting row is sub judice in the apex court.

Yadav said election officers had been instructed to attach priority to senior citizens, people with disabilities and those visually challenged at every polling centre while voting in the upcoming elections.

Poll body rapped for ‘helplessness’

NEOC President Surya Prasad Shrestha alleged that the Election Commission had acted helplessly in the Bharatpur election fiasco. He said free and fair polls are impossible without the government’s support.

There have been criticisms from some quarters of the EC’s decision to conduct re-polling in Ward 19 of the metropolis after some Maoist cadres tore up 90 ballots in the final stage of counting.

Stressing the need to establish an independent election system, he suggested orienting the political parties on the vote and its integrity.