The Congress leadership on Friday voiced its suspicions about the manipulation of electronic voting machines and frustration with the Election Commission’s attitude amid the outcry over the discovery of an EVM in a BJP candidate’s car in Assam on Thursday night.

The Congress, which has expressed its reservations about EVMs in the past and even demanded return to ballot papers, contended that repeated incidents like this were dismissed as one-off aberration even though it had become a trend in the past five to six years.

Stressing that all EVM incidents invariably come with a BJP link, the Congress insisted it was high time the Election Commission took remedial steps.

While some senior leaders felt the recurring incidents showed complicity of the Election Commission with the BJP and wondered if the nation should stop expecting impartiality from the constitutional authority, others demanded a probe by a joint parliamentary committee. The commission’s explanation of the Assam incident was unanimously rejected as “scripted excuse”.

The leadership of the Congress stepped out to register their protest instead of leaving it to the spokespersons. Rahul Gandhi led the charge with a tweet: “EC ki gadi kharab, BJP ki neeyat kharab, loktantr ki haalat kharab.” In one tweet, Rahul questioned the BJP’s intentions and the commission’s attitude, arguing that these two have combined to destroy the health of Indian democracy.

Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offered a comprehensive critique, saying: “Every time there is an election videos of private vehicles caught transporting EVM’s show up. Unsurprisingly they have the following things in common: 1. The vehicles usually belong to BJP candidates or their associates. 2. The videos are taken as one-off incidents and dismissed as aberrations 3. The BJP uses its media machinery to accuse those who exposed the videos as sore losers.”

Priyanka added: “The fact is that too many such incidents are being reported and nothing is being done about them. The EC needs to start acting decisively on these complaints and a serious re-evaluation of the use of EVM’s needs to be carried out by all national parties.”

She also heaped scorn on the EC’s explanation in another tweet, “What a script! When the vehicle of the Election Commission breaks down, a car that appears at the spot belongs to a BJP leader. The innocent EC gets into the car and continues the journey. Dear EC, what is happening?”

Senior leader Digvijaya Singh, who has been pleading with the commission to look into the vulnerabilities of EVM, said: “Every time there is a complaint of malfunctioning of EVM, you press any button vote goes to BJP!! Every time you find EVM in possession of unauthorised person he is connected to BJP! Now EC would take action against officials but what about BJP and its candidate? It has crossed all limits!”