EC should aggressively dispel rumours against EVMs, stresses ex-CEC Quraishi

The former CEC SY Quraishi has asked the Election Commission to aggressively counter propaganda against electronic voting machines.

New Delhi, March 17: As a couple of 'losing' parties in the recently concluded assembly elections in five states have alleged that votes went in favour of 'winning' parties because of tampering of electronic voting machines, former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi has slammed the critics of EVMs in strong words.

In an interview to Scroll, Quraishi said the Election Commission should take all the accusations against tampering of EVMs 'head on'.

"Perhaps the EC should take these accusations head on and counter the aggressive propaganda against it. Instead of making a one-line token statement, the EC should dispel any misgiving vociferously, aggressively and proactively. If I was there, I would hold a press conference and demonstrate the workings of EVMs. Why is the EC shy of doing it?" he added.

In his column for The Indian Express, Quraishi slammed political parties and leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Mayawati for spreading 'lies' against EVMs.

"Controversies about EVMs have been raised time and again. Every political party has questioned the EVMs at one point or another. When they win with the same machines, they just keep quiet instead of publicly apologising and eating their words," the former CEC wrote.

The entire controversy started after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati alleged that EVMs were tampered to give a favourable result to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The BSP won just 19 seats and the BJP along with its alliance partners won 325 seats in the 403-seat UP polls, the results of which were declared on Saturday.

After making the allegations, Mayawati is planning to go to the court to 'prove her point'. It is not just Mayawati, Delhi chief minister Kejriwal also made similar allegations against tampering of EVMs during the Punjab Assembly polls. Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party contested elections in both Punjab and Goa.

While in Goa the party failed to win a single seat, in Punjab the AAP won 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Assembly elections. The Election Commission denied the charges saying that the EVMs can't be tampered. Many say that Kejriwal and Mayawati are crying foul over EVMs as they faced humiliating defeat in the elections. The BJP leaders have suggested that both Kejriwal and Mayawati should accept the verdict gracefully.

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