Opposition uses EVMs ECI to justify electoral defeats BJP

The BJP on Friday accused Opposition parties of using electronic voting machines and the Election Commission as “excuses” to justify their electoral defeats, citing the low number of applications seeking verification of EVMs’ burnt memory after the recent assembly elections.
Following the latest round of Assembly elections, reportedly no applications for EVM memory checking and verification were received from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, while Tamil Nadu was the only state where the Election Commission received four such applications.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Opposition parties raise questions over EVMs and the Election Commission only after losing elections. “EVMs are just an excuse. Elections are just an excuse. “The real objective is to save themselves. That is why they target the Election Commission,” he said.

Poonawalla further claimed that the opposition parties question the electoral process to create doubt in the minds of voters and use these allegations as an alibi to escape accountability. “They are only trying to create doubt in the minds of voters and use these allegations as an alibi to escape accountability. In reality, they also know that the EVMs are working perfectly well,” he said. Poonawalla claimed the latest figures on EVM verification requests exposed the Opposition’s “hypocrisy”. “They do not blame EVMs when they win in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. They raise these allegations only in the states where they lose. That is their hypocrisy,” he said.

“In the last five Assembly elections in four states, there were zero applications or complaints seeking EVM scrutiny, memory checking or verification filed by Opposition parties that lost the elections. “In Tamil Nadu, the Election Commission received only four applications.  Even the Opposition, despite losing elections, has effectively acknowledged this through its actions,” he claimed. He alleged that opposition parties publicly question EVMs, the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls but fail to substantiate their allegations.

“In the public domain, they blame EVMs, they blame the SIR and the Election Commission. But these are merely excuses. Whether it is the SIR, EVMs or the election process, they do not pursue these allegations in courts or file substantive complaints. “They only make these claims before television cameras. In reality, they have no evidence to support them,” Poonawalla alleged.