Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA announces anti-EVM stir, to launch signature campaign

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The Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Monday announced that it will launch a Maharashtra-wide agitation against the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

According to news agency PTI, the party said that in the first phase of its agitation, VBA will start a signature campaign from Tuesday against the use of EVMs in elections, and the stir will continue till December 16.

The decision to launch the anti-EVM agitation was taken at the party's state executive meeting held in Pune on Sunday, 10 days after the state assembly election results which saw the ruling Mahayuti coalition registering a landslide majority, PTI reported.

The regional outfit led by the grandson of social reformer BR Ambedkar failed to open its account in the November 20 polls.

The VBA warned to intensify its agitation against the EVMs in a phased manner, reported PTI.

The debacle of opposition parties in the Maharashtra polls rekindled the old debate on the credibility and reliability of EVMs with some rivals of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling for a return to traditional ballot papers.

Among the Mahayuti parties, the BJP emerged victorious on 132 seats, followed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (41).

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback, with the Congress winning just 16 seats and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) winning 20 and 10 seats, respectively.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also raised the issue of EVMs on Monday and challenged the Election Commission to probe into the allegations of tampering of the machines.

"In 2017, you [Election Commission] had allowed the opposition parties to do some investigation with EVM but what had happened was that you specifically told not to touch the machine. So I would request as a citizen of this country to allow us to operate any EVM in the presence of the media. We will bring our technical team, all opposition parties and those in power will also be there, just give us 15 minutes...," he stated, according to ANI.

"Doubts need to be cleared and once it is cleared that the machine is foolproof, then no one will speak against EVM or Election Commission but to clear those doubts at least one opportunity has to be given...we are just saying what people are talking about...," Rohit Pawar added.

Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer, S Chockalingam, has warned of strict legal action against individuals spreading false claims or insinuations regarding tampering with EVMs.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)