Mayawati attacks EVMs, says doubt over vote credibility harmful to democracy

Lucknow, Sep 28 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati on Monday again questioned the process of conducting elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and demanded that the system be discontinued and the process revert to ballot papers.

Mayawati said voters must have complete confidence that the vote they cast for a particular candidate has actually gone to that candidate and has been included in the counting process. Any situation that creates doubt about the integrity of a vote, she said, is a serious concern for democracy.

In a statement issued to the media on Monday, she said the Constitution has granted every citizen of the country the right to vote and that ensuring free and fair elections is the responsibility of the Election Commission.

She said the electoral process should be such that every voter remains fully assured, without any doubt, that their vote has been securely and correctly recorded.

The BSP chief said elections in the country were conducted through ballot papers for several decades in the initial years, with ballot papers being counted in the presence of representatives of political parties. Subsequently, she said, EVMs replaced ballot papers.

Mayawati said that when the Congress was in power at the Centre, senior BJP leaders had also questioned the reliability of EVMs.

“When the Congress government was in power at the Centre, the BJP strongly opposed EVMs, saying that the electronic chip installed in an EVM could easily be hacked,” she said.

However, the BJP, after coming to power, continued with the system of voting and counting through EVMs.

The BSP chief said her party had consistently opposed the use of EVMs and claimed that distrust over the machines was growing among the party’s supporters.

Referring to the Nagina Lok Sabha constituency, she said there were various discussions and apprehensions at the local level regarding the victory of Azad Samaj Party candidate Chandrashekhar Azad.

Mayawati also questioned the VVPAT system. She said that unless all VVPAT slips are matched with the votes recorded in EVMs, doubts arising in the minds of voters cannot be completely eliminated.

She said that amid apprehensions surrounding electronic voting systems, maintaining voters’ confidence should be a priority for the Election Commission.

Mayawati also expressed concern over confusion surrounding issues related to elections, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. She said the Election Commission should have clarified the situation on such matters in a timely manner.

According to her, the lack of timely clarification has contributed to confusion and resentment among the Opposition and the public. She said the Election Commission should address all questions and concerns related to elections in time so that public confidence in free and fair elections remains intact.

Mayawati reiterated that the BSP’s demand for restoring confidence in free and fair elections is that voting through EVMs should be discontinued and elections should instead be conducted using ballot papers. She also called for misconceptions surrounding SIR and other issues related to the electoral process to be addressed.

Also expressing concern over the law and order situation in Delhi, Punjab and other states, she urged the respective state governments to take necessary steps to improve the situation.

–IANS

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