He accused the Tharoor team of adopting a dual stance, presenting one face to the party election authority and another to the media. In a letter addressed to Tharoor’s chief election agent, Salman Anees Soz, Mistry alleged that they attempted to exaggerate issues, creating an impression that the entire process was unfair to Tharoor.

Mistry referred to multiple letters from the Tharoor team, stating that the party’s election authority had addressed and resolved every complaint promptly. Despite this, Tharoor’s team brought up the same points in the media before discussing them with the party officials. Mistry emphasized that they provided the Tharoor team with the voter list well in advance, and phone numbers were also shared. He countered Tharoor’s claim of not receiving phone numbers for 3000 voters by highlighting that both Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge had received approximately 9400 phone numbers.

Regarding a change in the ballot requirement, Mistry mentioned that the authority accommodated Tharoor’s request to change the format from writing ‘1’ to a tick-mark. However, Tharoor’s team, despite being satisfied earlier, accused the authority of conspiring against them in the media.

Responding to allegations related to the UP context, Mistry clarified that polling agents for both Tharoor and Kharge were present in every booth. He asserted that the voting process only began after showing empty boxes, sealing them with authorized seals, and receiving approval from both candidates’ polling agents. Mistry dismissed claims of unauthorised persons, explaining that local manpower was requested for smooth polling, and no objections were raised by the party agents.

Addressing accusations of voter fraud, Mistry argued that stringent measures were in place, requiring voter ID verification and finger marking before voting. He deemed the charge baseless, noting that while there was one complaint about a delegate, it couldn’t be established as bogus voting.

Regarding the presence of AICC secretaries, Mistry clarified that they were restricted from entering polling booths by returning officers. Despite being around the premises, they did not enter any polling booth until the close of polling.