EVM Controversy Live: Opposition Leaders Demand Verification Of VVPAT Slips Before Counting Of Votes

The Election Commission has set up a 24-hour control room here to monitor complaints relating to EVMs.

“The complaints related to storage issues at strongrooms, security of strongrooms, permissions to candidates to post their agents at strongrooms, CCTV monitoring, movement of any EVMs, and any complaints during counting related to EVMs can be informed at control room, number is 011-23052123 (with 5 hunting lines),” it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the “needless controversy” created by the Opposition over EVMs at a meeting of NDA leaders, even as the ruling alliance laid out its agenda for the next five years if it is elected to power again.

A group of activists have demanded the reversal of an Election Commission order about tallying the VVPAT slips after the counting of the EVMs.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, the civil society members stated that the counting of the electronic voting machines should commence only when the tallying of the verifiable paper audit trail slips for the five sampled booths in each constituency are completed.

The activists, including Aruna Roy, also demanded that if there is a mismatch in a seat, all VVPAT slips in that constituency must be counted before declaring the result. The 24 groups, who have come under the banner of the People’s Agenda, wrote the letter to Arora and the two election commissioners.

The People's Agenda reminded the commission about the detailed memorandum shared in their meeting with the deputy election commissioner on May 7, outlining the key issues of concern that included a demand for 100 percent counting of VVPAT slips.

They emphasised that the commission seemed to be unwilling to meaningfully engage with non-party groups who are working on the ground to ensure the credibility and transparency of the electoral process. No appointment had been given to meet the election commissioners despite a series of mails and phone calls, they alleged.

The activists expressed also angst at the Election Commission’s perceived unwillingness to respond to several letters positively and promptly, even on issues that have grave implications.

The activists also shared with the commissioner a public statement issued by 48 eminent citizens, including senior advocates Fali S Nariman and Soli Sorabjee, Justice A P Shah, admiral (retired) L Ramdas and historian Ramachandra Guha, demanding 100 percent counting of VVPAT slips.

The Election Commission asserted that EVMs used in the Lok Sabha polls are “absolutely safe” in strongrooms, dismissing allegations that the voting machines used in the elections were being switched with fresh ones ahead of counting of votes on May 23.

Referring to the allegations and complaints, the commission said it would like to “emphatically and unambiguously” clarify that all such reports and allegations are “absolutely false and factually incorrect”. The visuals on TV and social media “do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls”, it said.

In a statement, the poll watchdog said, after the close of polls, all polled EVMs and VVPATs are brought under security cover to designated strongrooms, which are sealed with double locks in the presence of candidates and observers of the commission.

The entire process of storage and sealing of the strongroom is videoed. “Continuous CCTV camera coverage is done till completion of counting. Each strongroom is guarded with round-the-clock security by Central Armed Police Forces. Further, candidates or their designated agents remain present at the strongroom for 24X7 vigil at all times.”

On counting day, the strongrooms are opened in the presence of candidates or their agents and observers. This is also videoed.

Before counting starts, the counting agents are shown the address tags, seals and serial number of EVMs to satisfy themselves to the genuineness and authenticity of the machines used in the polls, it said.

The provisions and protocols have been explained to political parties on multiple occasions, including in several of the 93 meetings held with them at the commission, since the announcement of elections, the commission pointed out.

The BJP condemned opposition parties for questioning the credibility of EVMs and asked them to accept their defeat with grace if the people vote Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power again.

Party leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took a swipe at the opposition and said, “EVM is good when Mamata Banerjee became West Bengal chief minister twice and Amarinder Singh became Punjab chief minister. If they win, EVM is good. But when there is expectation that we will win because people of this country want Narendra Modi to be prime minister again, then EVM is unreliable.”

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said opposition parties are desperately seeking an alibi for their impending massive defeat and their sudden mistrust is “unsurprising and unimaginary”.

Rejecting the demand of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the 'full commission' on Tuesday ruled that dissents and minority views in orders in cases of model code violations would not be made public. The dissent notes and minority views would remain part of records as it is the case now, the Election Commission said in a statement.

“In the meeting of the Election Commission held today regarding the issue of MCC, it was interalia decided that proceedings of the commission's meetings would be drawn, including the views of all the commission members. Thereafter, formal instructions to this effect would be issued in consonance with extant laws/rules, etc,” the poll panel said.

Lavasa has recused himself from MCC violation cases, saying his dissent was not being made part of the orders.

Leaders of as many as 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission on Tuesday and demanded verification of VVPAT slips of randomly-selected polling stations before the counting of the votes polled in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election begins on May 23.

They also demanded that if any discrepancy is found during VVPAT verification, 100 percent counting of the paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that particular Assembly segment should be done and compared with the electronic voting machine results.

"We told the EC that the VVPAT machines should be counted first and if there is any discrepancy, then all of them in that segment should be counted," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here after meeting poll panel officials.

Azad's party colleague Abhishek Singhvi said despite repeated requests in the last few months, the poll body has now said it will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

"We are asking the EC to respect the mandate of people. It cannot be manipulated," Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Chandra Mishra alleged that "there is large-scale bungling relating to EVMs in Uttar Pradesh. We demand deployment of central forces".

The opposition parties also raised concerns over the transportation of EVMs ahead of counting of votes and urged the Election Commission to probe the issue.

The opposition parties are seeking transparency and fairness in the counting of votes and respecting the mandate of the people of the country.

Former Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy said the poll body has done "a good job" in conducting the Lok Sabha elections but could have taken decisions on certain complaints in time.

He also came out in support of the demand of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa that his dissent be recorded in orders on model code of conduct violation cases.

The former CEC said he was not surprised by political parties' attack on the Election Commission, saying when it takes a decision on complaints of MCC violations, it has to be "one way or the other".

But Krishnamurthy, who oversaw the 2004 General Elections, said the EC should have taken some decisions (on MCC violations) in time, and also while passing orders, it should have given reasons. He did not go into specifics.

"There is also criticism by one of the Election Commissioners about dissent having been not recorded; I don't see no reason why dissent cannot be recorded", he told PTI.

Protests broke out in some parts of Uttar Pradesh earlier on Tuesday after videos of alleged movement and tampering of EVMs went viral on social media, a charge dismissed by the Election Commission as "frivolous" and "unfounded".

As the videos went viral, workers of various parties held protests in Ghazipur, Chandauli and Dumariyaganj alleging that EVMs were being "moved around" outside strongrooms.

A video clip of EVMs being off-loaded and put in a room inside the counting centre complex in Chandauli was doing the rounds on social media. Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit President Mahendra Nath Pandey is seeking re-election from the seat.

Another video is from Ghazipur where Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance candidate Afzal Ansari is seen staging a protest alleging that the administration was trying to change EVMs.

Amid a slew of allegations by the opposition about the reliability of EVMs, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh has said that the machines are "absolutely fool-proof" and fulfills all "transparency and administrative protocols".

Singh said the EVM is "robust by design" and there is no way the machine can be tampered with.

The Congress on Tuesday said the Election Commission should take immediate and effective steps to address the complaints of movement of electronic voting machines from strongrooms from various parts of the country.

Party Spokesperson Rajeev Shukla also said it was the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure that polls were held in a fair and unbiased manner.

"Complaints about movement of EVMs are coming from various parts of the country. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab -- there have been complaints of taking out of EVMs from strongrooms from various places. People's suspicion and anger are increasing," he said.

The reason that was being given was that these were the reserve machines, but even then, the EVMs should be shown to the candidates' representatives, Shukla added.

Top opposition leaders met in the national capital today to discuss the possibility of a non-National Democratic Alliance coalition staking claim to form the next government and also to move the Election Commission to press for their demand of tallying paper trail of votes with electronic voting machine figures.

Opposition parties met the Election Commission and demanded tallying of VVPAT slips with EVM figures in an entire Assembly constituency in case a discrepancy is found in any polling booth.

The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to tally the VVPAT slips with the EVM figures of five polling stations in each Assembly constituency across the country.

In another related development, the apex court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking 100 percent matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs during counting of votes on May 23 for the Lok Sabha polls.