Why Mayawati is regularly challenging BJP to conduct elections with ballot papers

BSP chief Mayawati challenged the BJP to conduct Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections with ballot paper instead of electronic voting machines (EVM).

Mumbai, Dec 11: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati was the first one to allege that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections earlier this year were "faculty and tampered" which resulted in helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win the polls in a massive way.

Since then the issue of "faculty and tampered" EVMs used in various elections has been hogging the limelight. While the Election Commission (EC) has denied such "wild allegations" by the opposition parties, the BJP accused rivals of complaining about the EVMs as they have failed to defeat the saffron party.

During the first phase of polling for the Gujarat Assembly elections on Saturday, several instances of non-functioning and faculty EVMs were reported from various polling booths.

The Congress has also accused "rigging" of EVMs by the BJP during the Gujarat elections, which the EC has once again denied. The second and final phase of polling for the Gujarat Assembly elections is scheduled on December 14. The results of the elections will be declared on December 18.

A day after the first phase of polling for the Gujarat elections, the BSP chief has once again raked up the issue of EVMs by challenging the ruling BJP to conduct all polls--both Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha--with ballot papers on Sunday.

Addressing a rally in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Mayawati said, "If the BJP thinks that they are honest and transparent then they should conduct all the upcoming elections in the country with the ballot paper instead of the EVM."

She added that the BJP's silence on the issue showed that EVMs had irregularities in elections that were conducted in various parts of India since 2014.

Mayawati claimed that the BSP had to suffer heavy losses in elections to the Lok Sabha in 2014 as well as the Assembly elections in UP in 2017 due to these irregularities.

Further attacking the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the former UP chief minister said that Dalits, tribals, OBCs and minorities were facing castiest, religious and communal attitude from the so-called thekedars (custodians) of the Hindu religion across the country.

"It was due to this attitude that Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar along with lakhs of his followers had to embrace Buddhism. He was not against Hinduism but he was against the inequality meted out," Mayawati said.

She warned the BJP and the RSS that if this attitude towards the backward sections of society didn't change, she along with crores of others would embrace Buddhism.

Asking her party cadres to be ready for polls, Mayawati said that the BJP would start constructing the Ram Mandir in UP just before the Lok Sabha elections to hide their administrative failure in various states and at the Centre.

She added that the BJP would play the "nationalism" card as well to garner votes.

Now, it needs to be seen if the EC would once again look into all the allegations levelled against EVMs by Mayawati to allay such fears to make the whole process of elections transparent and trustworthy.

OneIndia News