While most Opposition parties did not express their view after the Supreme Court’s verdict on VVPAT, the Congress and a couple of parties like Samajwadi Party (SP) said it will continue with its campaign on greater use of VVPATs to increase the public trust in the electoral process.

Congress chief spokesman Jairam Ramesh said the Opposition is not a party, directly or indirectly, to the petition on VVPATs. “We have taken note of the verdict of the two-judge bench and our political campaign on the greater use of VVPATs to increase public trust in the electoral process will continue,” Ramesh said in a statement.

Asked about the Prime Minister’s attack on the Opposition, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said similar doubts against the EVMs were made by BJP stalwart LK Advani and advised the ruling party to start with him.

“So, in 2009, was Advani misleading the nation? When he released the book of GVL Narasimha against EVMs, when Advani was championing the cause of leading a protest against EVMs, was he misleading the nation? The Prime Minister should do a basic homework, instead of focusing on Nehru, he should start focusing on Advani. He will stop talking irresponsibly,” Khera said.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, when asked about the decision on the sidelines of a poll rally in UP’s Kasganj, urged the people to make the INDIA Bloc victorious and do away with the EVMs. “Two phases of the election are over, we are now looking at the third phase of voting... I would like to say only one thing, make the INDIA alliance, Samajwadi Party victorious, and remove EVMs...” Yadav said.

“The BJP is scared of the growing PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minorities) family. PDA is fighting for its rights and honour, the BJP Government has taken away jobs... It is a big fight and we will keep fighting,” he said.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said her party-led Uddhav Thackeray on several occasions expressed doubts particularly on the last year’s results of the assembly polls in four states where the BJP won three of them.