EVM row: AAP pitches for ‘hackathon’, demands polls through ‘ballot papers’
20 May, New Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party, who has been ‘vehemently’ opposing use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections, today emphasised that the Election Commission should conduct ‘hackathon’ and also reiterated its earlier demand to conduct polls through ballot papers.
Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “Reports of EVMs manipulation at Dhaulpur, Bhind, Pune and Mumbai surfaced which led political parties and people across the country to express doubts over holding free and fair elections through EVMs. Eighteen parties have met poll panel and the President, and requested that polls should be conducted through ballot paper.In the all-party meeting of the EC, they have said that EVMs is not tamper proof. The EC told through the media that it is ready for the challenge of ‘hackathon’, but till now they haven’t invited anyone. Why ? ”
“Why EC is not fulfilling the demand of political parties? On whose direction the poll panel is backtracking from its own words? It should conduct ‘hackhaton’ as our MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj showed the whole country that EVM is not tamper-proof by a demonstration in the Delhi Assembly,” he asserted.
Taking a dig at the BJP over its silence on the issue, Mr Singh said, “From 2009-14, the BJP raised questions on the ‘impartiality’ of EVMs and now they are backing it. Opposition parties don’t want EVMs, only BJP wants that polls be conducted with these machines as it was favouring them.”
“If there is BJP-Narendra Modi wave, then why is it afraid of conducting polls through paper ballots”, he asked.
Another AAP leader Ashutosh said, “We have complete faith in the EC, but if it does not listen to the Opposition and only listens to the ruling party, it raises serious questions. ”
He also said it is unfortunate that the EC was not talking to Opposition parties about ‘hackathon’ and was only talking about giving a demo in the media.
“We have asked the EC to give their machine, but they have not responded to this, hope the poll panel announces today in its press conference,” Gopal Rai said.
Notably, their comments came on a day when the the poll panel is today conducting a live demonstration of the EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).