CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday demanded that VVPAT slips should be fully counted if there is any discrepancy with EVM figures.
"On VVPATs & the EVM tally, the EC is yet to come out with a procedure in case there is a mismatch! Even if there is one mismatch in the VVPAT samples picked for counting and EVMs, to maintain integrity of the electoral process, all VVPATs in that Assembly segment must be counted," he tweeted.
With the exit polls predicting a debacle for the Left Front in the Lok Sabha election, the leaders of various Left parties are set to play a waiting game as regards joining the UPA or being part of a non-Congress federal front. A majority of the exit polls have predicted 14-16 seats for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, 4-6 seats for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and one seat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In West Bengal, a State ruled by the Left Front for 34 years, a majority of the exit polls have given no seats to it, which could mean the worst ever performance of the front in the State. "It is very clear that an Opposition front and its strategy can only be formed after the election results on May 23. One thing is clear that a secular, alternative Government will be formed at the Centre. Who will make it and how will it be created will be decided after the results," Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said they would sit in the Opposition if no party got a clear majority. "We have our national executive on May 27-28. We will not take any decision before that. If no party gets a majority, we will sit in the opposition," he said.
CPI national secretary D Raja conceded that this could be the Left's worst poll performance in years. "What role we will play will be decided post May 23," he said.