New Delhi, Feb 4 (UNI) Amid the growing complaints over the malfunctions and alleged tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), leaders of 23 opposition parties on Monday approached Election Commission and demanded 50 per cent of EVM votes should tally with the VVPAT in the coming elections.
Leaders have met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa in the meeting, which lasted close to two hours, and submitted a memorandum with signatures of political leaders, wherein Congress president Rahul Gandhi was the first signatory.
“Leaders of all political parties have spoken and the Election Commission has given a patient hearing. Even though they did not give any specific assurance, they will meet on Tuesday and will consult with the technical committee, which they have appointed and the Supreme Court directions on it”, said a leader who attended the meeting.
The delegation demanded that 50 per cent EVMs results should be tallied with VVPAT, and that after counting if it found that the difference of votes polled in favour of the winning and that polled for candidate who came second is less than five percent of votes cast, then a mandatory counting of paper trail should be carried out in each polling station of that constituency.
“If there is a difference in counting of votes between EVM and VVPAT, then result in counting from VVPAT should prevail”, they said.
In a press release issued after the meeting the poll body said that they assured the political parties that issues raised by them would be deliberated and examined.
However, the Commission added that, “the Commission shall also keep in view the pronouncements made by the different Hon'ble Courts as well as the report expected shortly from the Indian Statistical Institute on the subject besides the overall administrative and operational feasibility on the ground, before firming up any response”.
Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said all the political parties demanded to implement 50 percent VVPAT counting and added that “people of the country doubted the efficacy of EVMs and the confidence of electioneering process should be restored”.
Referring to the Election Commission’s suggestion to hear the ‘technical committee’, Mr Azad said that the Commission should decide and not the committee, which is sitting in the room.
“Political parties have the knowledge about what is happening on ground, the committees are sitting in a room. So the Election Commission should take a call on the issue” he added.
Representing the BSP, Satish Chandra Mishra pointed out that his party approached the Supreme Court after the 2017 UP assembly election and pointed out the doubts on EVMs.
“The Election Commission had stated in the apex court that it is verifying the EVM votes with the VVPAT and hence tampering or malfunctions will not be allowed. But now they are cross checking a small number of EVM votes with VVPAT. So the Election Commission should carried out what they had said in Supreme Court”, said Mr Mishra.
Reminding that they are not representing one or two political parties, but 70 per cent of the population, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naid said Election has to hear what they are raising.
“Leaders of 23 political parties met the Election Commission. We are representing 70 percent of the population. People have doubts on the functioning of EVMs. Incidents like when vote is cast in favour of one party, but another party gets the vote was widely reported. So it is our collective demand to implement 50 per cent VVPAT counting along with EVMs”, said Mr Naidu.
The delegation included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel and Anand Sharma of the Congress, Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Majid Memon (NCP), Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), Ramgopal Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Mohd Salim and TK Rangarajan (CPI(M), Manoj Jha (RJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), D Raja (CPI), Danish Ali (JD-S), NK Premchandran (RSP), PK Kunhalikkutty (IUML), Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) and KG Kenye (NPF).
Leaders have also pointed out that many countries have successfully practiced the 50 per cent VVPAT with corresponding EVMs, like in Venezuela by its National Electoral Council.
"It is a very easly implementable reform in India with hardly any additional costs", they said.
UNI KNA PS 2135