Reiterating his earlier demand of replacing EVM with traditional ballot papers for future elections in the country, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav charged that it (use of EVMs) was BJP’s conspiracy to influence bypolls at Kairana lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats. “I repeat my demand for elections through ballot papers. People have lost faith in the EVMs. The ballot system will not only strengthen democracy, but also restore people’s faith in participatory democracy,’’ said Akhilesh in lucknow on Tuesday. The SP chief had made a similar demand soon after March, 2017 Assembly elections where his party faced the worst ever poll drubbing and was reduced to 47 seats in the Assembly. “large scale malfunctioning of EVMs in polling for Kairana lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats confirmed our worst apprehensions that it was part of an strategy by the ruling BJP to rig elections. People of Kairana and Noorpur have however given a befitting reply to the BJP designs by coming out in large numbers and vote for the joint opposition candidate, said the SP chief.
“The machines deprived people of expressing their deep sense of anger against the BJP regime. Had there been ballot system for elections, the victory margin of the joint opposition candidate, would have been much higher,” said he.
Akhilesh said that he would soon write to leaders of other parties and also meet them to mobilise support for ballot paper system of election.
Targeting the BJP, Akhilesh said, “The ruling party after holding Prime Minister’s road show at Baghpat and the CM’s Ganga bathing at Haridwar, conspired through EVMs at Kairana and Noorpur.
The SP chief alleged that to blunt charges of the opposition parties against EVMs, BJP leaders also met the Election Commission and complained about malfunctioning of voting machines.
“The BJP and the EC have so far not enlightened us as to why EVM malfunctioning occurred only in areas inhabited by supporters of SP and Rashtriya lok Dal,’’ said he.
Poking fun at EC claims for the cause of EVM malfunction, the SP chief said, “Can anyone believe the lame excuse of EC that EVMs konked off due to heat waveIJ’’
Confirming that he would contest the 2019 lok Sabha polls, Akhilesh said the seat was however not finalised. He said that there was no dispute over alliance with the BSP or other opposition parties in the 2019 polls.
“We respect every party and leaders,” he said reacting to Mayawati’s statement that alliance will happen only on getting respectable number of seats.