New Delhi: Oppositon parties, led by the Congress, today met the Election Commission and demanded that voting in the forthcoming polls be held with use of VVPAT (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail) and ballot paper. The meeting of the Opposition leaders with the EC came after leaders of various opposition parties met in Parliament in the morning and decided to jointly meet the Commission over their concerns on the alleged malfunctioning of the EVMs.
In a memorandum submitted to the EC, the Opposition parties drew its attention to the alleged cases of malfunctioning and tampering of EVM machines which, they said, raised bonafide concerns on the possibility of manipulating the electoral outcome. ‘’This, we believe, can undermine the trust the people of India have in the integrity of the electoral process,’’the memorandum said. ‘’. We are also constrained to write to you about the widespread allegations about the tampering of EVM machines in the recently held Assembly elections. These allegations have been raised by almost all opposition parties.
Even in the current 242nd Session of Parliament, the Members of Parliament, cutting across party lines, have expressed their concern and have observed, that allegations of tampering of EVMs strike at the very foundation of our democratic system. The recent incidents highlighted by the national and international media, have cast a serious shadow on the integrity of the electoral process in the country which, has otherwise been hailed all over the world as one of the most transparent and flawless systems.’’the memorandum said. ‘’ As more States are now opting out of EVMs and returning to ballot papers, due to the case of malfunctioning, alleged tempering and technical glitches, it is important that the sanctity of the electronic process is upheld in letter and spirit.
It is imperative, that the Election Commission of India which has a Constitutional mandate to conduct national and State elections in a fair, free and impartial manner, take urgent note of the concerns and apprehensions raised by major political parties. It is equally important, that there is a consensus among the political parties on the mode of conduct of elections, which for the present, is against the EVMs and in favour of reverting to the original practice of voting by ballot paper.
It is, therefore, requested that till such time, the issues of tampering and malfunctions of the EVMs are addressed and the tamper-proof and flawless functioning of EVMs is technologically established and endorsed globally, to the satisfaction of the Political Parties, the forthcoming elections should be conducted under the old ballot paper system.
That continues to be a permissible mode of balloting accepted worldwide and the discretion of the Election Commission under Section 61A should be exercised only after all issues, as raised above, are addressed by the Election Commission to the satisfaction of all Political Parties,’’the memorandum said. Talking to reporters after meeting the EC, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said,’’we have lost trust in EVMs.
Old system of ballot paper must be restored.’’ Several Opposition parties have recently cast doubts over the impartiality of the EVMs. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today blamed the Election Commission for "EVM-tampering" and said its only aim appeared to be to bring the BJP to power.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also questioned the poll panel's decision to deploy EVMs produced before 2006, which he said had no security features, in the April 23 Delhi civic polls. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati had alleged that EVMs were manipulated after the BJP registered a landslide win in Uttar Pradesh.
Recently, a video showing the VVPAT (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail) machine dispensing slips with BJP's poll symbol in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, went viral. The Election Commission has already sought a detailed report on the Bhind incident. The Election Commission has recently announced that it would replace more than 9 lakh EVMs with the advanced M3 machines ahead of the 2019 General Elections.
These M3 machines reportedly stop working if tampered with. Among those who met the EC included Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Kapil Sibal, Janata Dal United leader Ali Anwar Ansari, Trinamool Congress leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Misra and Samajwadi Party leader Neeraj Shekhar. Leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Rashtriya Janata Dal were also a part of the delegation. (UNI)