India, March 2 -- Senior Congress leaders and independent candidates have made allegations of bias and a lack of transparency against the state election commission in the run-up to the municipal polls. In a formal representation to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya, former MLA and Congress district in-charge Karan Singh Dalal and other opposition leaders expressed concerns over the state election commission's refusal to use ballot papers and its decision to allow electronic voting machines (EVMs) without Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

The opposition leaders accused the poll body of acting under pressure from the ruling party, citing its unwillingness to implement VVPAT despite ample availability of the machines across the ...