Match 50 per cent of EVM results with VVPAT: Opposition urges EC

New Delhi, Feb 04: Leaders of several opposition parties approached the Election Commission on Monday and sought redressal of the issue of alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The opposition leaders demanded the poll panel ensure that 50 per cent of EVM results is matched and cross-checked with voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) before the 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 per cent EVMs with VVPATs.

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

The delegation included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel and Anand Sharma of the Congress, Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Majid Menon (NCP), Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), Ramgopal Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Mohd Salim and T K Rangarajan (CPI-M), Manoj Jha (RJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), D Raja (CPI), Danish Ali (JD-S), N K Premchandran (RSP), Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) and K G Kenye (NPF).

ECI has maintained that EVMs are tamper proof, and that VVPATs provide an additional layer to guarantee that voting is accurately captured. It has also repeatedly urged parties to refrain from expressing doubts about their efficacy.