Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, raising his concern once again on the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), stated this strongly in the Lok Sabha. Speaking to the House, the MP from Kannauj said that he never used EVMs in the past, present, or future, and in the worst-case contingency presupposing that any party he belongs to would win all the 80 prospective seats for his party in Uttar Pradesh, he would still not trust EVMs.
Yadav said this during an interview with Amar Ujala during the campaign for the UP assembly polls, when the SP had complained to the Election Commission about EVMs and sought their elimination ‘Even if I win all 80 seats in UP, I will have no confidence in EVMs.’
The AAP said this while holding the Uttar Pradesh police, former chief minister, the ECI, and the Centre jointly responsible for the events that had unfolded under the MCC. He also opined that for political democracy in India to remain vibrant and powerful on the international scene, the ECI must be independent.
Yadav’s statements are made against the backdrop of controversies on the veracity of EVMs, thanks to the other political parties, which have questioned their validity, alleging that the machines can be rigged. The Leader of the Samajwadi Party has also been very aggressive towards the EVM system and has repeatedly appealed for a paper ballot system.
To counter the accused discrimination against Uttar Pradesh under the Bharatiya Janashakti Party, Yadav will focus on the Prime Minister’s visit to the state, where no chief minister was present, and inadequate central funding was provided for expressway projects.
The Samajwadi Party has declared its stand on EVMs and discrimination against Uttar Pradesh, which will only escalate the political disputes before the upcoming elections.
