No future polls without VVPAT EVMs: Yechury

Yechury said it would help restore confidence among the people on fair electoral process.

Agartala, May 21: In any future elections, EVMs without paper audit trail device must not be used, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Sunday.

"In case of any dispute, counting of votes must be done through the paper audit trail, not from the EVMs. We already have told this to Election Commission. Without VVPAT (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail), EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) should not be used in any future elections," Yechury told reporters after attending two-day meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) Tripura state committee.

He said that the Election Commission has called a meeting on June 3 to demonstrate once again the EVM and CPI-M leaders, along with three experts, would attend.

Yechury stressed that to link the EVM to VVPAT to ensure fair polls in future, the voter would be assured about his or her voting and it would help "restore" confidence among the people on fair electoral process.

"In 2009, the CPI-M has asked the Election Commission to ensure fool-proof elections by using upgraded EVM with paper audit trail like device," he noted.

IANS