16 parties call on EC to urge use of paper ballots
The Opposition leaders are demanding that a paper trail be introduced in all future elections.
New Delhi: Sixteen Opposition parties met the Election Commission on Monday to ask for a return to the use of paper ballots in polls, claiming that they had lost trust in electronic voting machines (EVMs).
“We have lost trust in EVMs, the old system of paper ballots must be restored,” Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress said after Opposition parties’ delegation met EC officials.
The EC has assured the parties that it would convene an all-party meet to discuss the reliability of EVMs, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said.
The Opposition leaders are demanding that a paper trail be introduced in all future elections. The Congress has also been pushing for the use of ballot papers instead of EVMs in the upcoming elections in view of alleged tampering.
The parties demanded that the EC dispel their apprehensions and reassure the people of the country regarding the issue.
Among those present at the strategy meeting held at Mr Azad’s chamber in Parliament included Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha, besides JDU leader Ali Anwar Ansari, TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, BSP leader Satish Misra and SP leader Neeraj Shekhar.
Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also urged for replacement of EVMs with ballot paper, saying “old is always gold”. “EVMs can be tampered with, so let’s go back to the old system”.
Ms Banerjee called for the replacement of EVMs with ballot paper, saying “old is always gold”.