EC to Aam Aadmi Party: Introspect, don't blame EVMs

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is free to file an election petition in the state High Court if it wants to verify votes cast in Punjab polls with data of paper trail, the Election Commission said yesterday

AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is free to file an election petition in the state High Court if it wants to verify votes cast in Punjab polls with data of paper trail, the Election Commission said yesterday.

In a strongly-worded letter, the EC also said it is for the AAP "to introspect as to why your party could not perform as per your expectations and it is unfair on your part to attribute unsatisfactory poll performance of your party to the alleged tamperability of EVMS."

The poll watchdog said after declaration of results the only alternative available to verify the data of votes cast is to file an election petition before the HCâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088concerned.

The AAP alleged that elections authorities in Punjab had refused to accept its demand to tally results with a paper trail audit.

The party had moved the EC over reliability of the machines and the results of Punjab elections.

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