The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pritam Singh said that the Congress favours the use of ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines in the coming urban local body elections in the State.
In view of the coming local body elections, Singh chaired a meeting of the party’s Garhwal office bearers, PCC members along with district and city office bearers at the Congress Bhawan. During the detailed discussions on the local body elections slated for 2018, the PCC Chief said that questions had been raised at the use of EVMs in elections in India. “If a doubt has arisen it should be addressed.
In the local body elections to be held in Uttarakhand, the Congress supports the use of ballot papers instead of the EVM. The local body elections in Uttar Pradesh are an example of the doubtful reliabilityof EVMs. Wherever ballot papers were used in the local body elections in UP, the ruling party BJP lost whereas it won in places where the EVM was used. Why is the BJP hesitating to conduct elections using ballot papersIJ The Congress will also seek the cooperation of other opposition parties on the issue of EVM,” said the PCC president. Regarding the decision of the State Government to expand the areas under urban local bodies, Singh said that the Uttarakhand Government had issued an arbitrary order for illogical expansion of municipal areas. Only those areas should be brought under municipal limits wherein the residents want this. The areas where the residents do not wish to become part of urban local bodies should be kept out of the expansion. Continuing its opposition to the Government’s decision, the Congress party will continue its agitation, stressed the PCC president.
He alleged that the State Government had not taken any action regarding reservation status related to the local body elections because in view of the delimitation, the Government wants to facilitate reservation according to its own interests.
The Government wants to decide on the reservation status with the interests of the ruling party’s candidates in mind. On this issue, a Congress delegation will meet the governor and present the position of the party in this regard. Singh said that a panel of candidates from all sections will be prepared by the party for the local body elections. The candidates will be announced only after the status of reservation is finalised. leader of the opposition Indira Hridayesh and other party leaders were also present in the meeting.