New Delhi, May 10 -- A delegation of Opposition party leaders on Friday met the top brass of Election Commission and raised its concerns over the delay in releasing voter turnout figures for the first two phases, and urged them to take action on complaints of model code violations by ruling BJP leaders during the ongoing polls.

Samajwadi Party leader Javed Ali, meanwhile, raised the issue of a "red card" being issued by the Uttar Pradesh Police to people in the state, which they said is stopping many from exercising their franchise. The delegation included Congress leaders Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Salman Khurshid, TMC's Derek O'Brien, DMK's TR Baalu, JMM's Mahua Majhi, CPI's Binoy Viswam, and Ali among others.

"We have a very distinguished gathering of INDIA alliance. Each party across India is represented. We spent 45 minute to an hour," Singhvi said briefing the media after the meeting. "Issue number one was one of great trust deficit, question mark and a feeling of alarm and distress that 11 complaints by Congress alone, and complaints by all parties put together against the Prime Minister and Home Minister, starting from early April, have not been addressed," Singhvi said. "No action has been taken. Look at the oddity - you have sent notices after a long gap and not to the offenders. For the first time in the history of the Election Commission you have sent notices to the party presidents," Singhvi said, referring to its letter to BJP president JP Nadda over complaints against Modi's Banswara speech. He said they have not been informed about the response to the EC notice, or about the action being taken. "Why there is a delay?"

"This is an irreversible window, it touched upon level playing field, it touches upon elections, it touched upon democracy and basic structure. Custodian of all these constitutional values is the Election Commission. If they don't act promptly, it will be a complete abdication of Constitutional duty," Singhvi said. The Congress leader also hinted that the Opposition parties may approach the Supreme Court with the issue. "It is no joy for us to go to the Supreme Court and get directions saying why don't you decide. This is not the way a Constitutional functionary should function. We are distressed and there is no satisfactory answer why these people are not touched," he said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.