Alleging tampering of EVMs to manipulate the outcome in the just concluded elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Telangana Congress today urged the election commission of India to use ballot papers instead of EVMs in the forthcoming byelection to the Narayankhed Assembly constituency in Medak district.
Party’s chief spokesperson Dr Shravan Dasoju and Nalgonda district Congress committee president Bikshamiah Goud today met chief election commissioner in New Delhi and presented a memorandum to this effect signed by PCC president N Uttamkumar Reddy.
Dr Shravan expressed dissatisfaction that the election commission did not arrange VVPAT and did not include the NOTA option on the ballot paper at the behest of the TRS, the ruling of the Telangana in GHMC elections. The Congress leaders suspect some foul play in GHMC elections as the votes polled to the Congress and other opposition parties did not reflect the general mood among the voters against the ruling party. ” We see no reason why the VVPATs were not arranged when it was possible in Delhi and Bihar elections, that too when the Telangana government had so much of time to arrange for the equipment,” the Congress said in the memorandum.
He said the preliminary data the party gathered from the contestants and the voters in Warangal Lok Sabha constituency and GHMC area clearly indicated some malpractice at the time of casting the vote and possible manipulation of EVMs later.
” Several voters approached our party to inform us that in many polling booths where the vote they cast did not go to their choice of contestant,” the he said urging the election for the arrangement of ballot papers or EVMs with VVPATs in the 35-Narayankhed Assembly elections polling slated on February 13, 3016 to avoid tampering of the EVM and manipulation of results.
Stating that there was no scope for the conduct of fair and free election in state of Telangana, Shrava said the only option was to arrange ballot paper or EVMs fitted with VVPAT.
Talking to telugu360.com from New Delhi, Shravan said the Congress delegation requested the EC to postpone the elections in case time is not sufficient to make these arrangements. He expressed hope that EC, which responded to the complaint positively, would initiate some measure to make the EVMs foolproof.
On the other side, senior Congress leader Dr M Sashidhar Reddy, former home minister P Sabita Reddy also expressed apprehension about the tampering of EVMs.
They said they had received reports where the polled votes exceeded the total numbers votes under the area of the polling station. Stating the they would initiate legal battle on alleged manipulation of EVMs, Sashidhar Reddy and Sabitha Reddy demanded that EC introduce ballot papers or EVMs fitted with printers in Narayakhed Assembly elections.