Amit Shah calling DMs and collectors is brazen intimidation: Congress

The Congress on Saturday alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah has been calling district magistrates and collectors and indulging in "blatant and brazen" intimidation.

District magistrates and collectors are the returning officers of their respective districts during elections.

Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh claimed that Shah had already spoken to 150 DMs or collectors and added that this shows "how desperate the BJP is".

With the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluding on Saturday, the results of the polls will be announced on 4 June.

"The outgoing home minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious," he asserted.

Ramesh said officers should not succumb to any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch, he added.