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Opposition Meets Election Commission Over EVM Issue

The opposition leaders demanded the poll panel to ensure that 50 percent of EVM results are matched and cross-checked with paper. 



A polling official, left, instructs voters how to use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) before they cast their votes (Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Bloomberg)
A polling official, left, instructs voters how to use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) before they cast their votes (Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Bloomberg)

Leaders of several opposition parties approached the Election Commission on Monday and sought redressal of the issue of alleged tampering of electronic voting machines.

The opposition leaders demanded the poll panel ensure that 50 percent of EVM results are matched and cross-checked with voter verifiable paper audit trails before declaration of results in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The leaders told the Election Commission the people of the country doubted the efficacy of EVMs and this issue needs to be redressed.

The opposition delegation met the Chief Election Commissioner and other members of the panel.

The opposition parties had earlier sought moving back to the ballot paper system, but after the Election Commission made it clear that there was no possibility of going back to the old system, they changed their strategy and are now demanding matching of 50 percent EVMs with voter-verified paper audit trails.

The leaders of various opposition parties earlier met in Parliament and discussed their strategy on the issue.

The delegation included:

  • Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge Ahmed Patel and Anand Sharma
  • Telugu Desam Party’s Chandrababu Naidu
  • Nationalist Congress Party’s Majid Menon
  • Trinamool Congress’ Derek O'Brien
  • Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav
  • BSP’s Satish Chandra Misra
  • Omar Abdullah from Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
  • Communist Party of India (M)‘s Mohd Salim and T K Rangarajan
  • Manoj Jha from the Rashtriya Janata Dal
  • Sanjay Singh from the Aam Admi Party
  • Communist Party of India’s D Raja
  • Danish Ali from the Janata Dal (Secular)
  • Revolutionary Socialist Party’s NK Premchandran
  • Badruddin Ajmal from the All India United Democratic Front
  • K G Kenye from the NPF

The leaders of various parties had earlier met in Constitution Club on Friday and discussed their future strategy on the issue.