All the Opposition parties in Maharashtra have decided to launch a campaign to pressure the Election Commission to hold the coming Assembly election in the state on ballot papers, saying people have lost faith in electronic voting machines.
After a meeting of top leaders of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and other smaller outfits, it was decided that a mega public rally would be held in Mumbai on August 21 to oppose elections by EVM.
Maharashtra will go to the polls in the next couple of months and the Election Commission is unlikely to accept the demand, which is not new.
Aware that the commission is not in favour of discarding EVMs, the political parties have decided to raise social awareness about discrepancies and possible manipulation in the voting machines and build public pressure against their use.
The party workers will start a door-to-door campaign and ask voters to fill forms demanding elections through ballot paper. Millions of such forms will then be sent to the commission.
Holding a joint news conference in Mumbai, top leaders of these parties, including Congress state chief Balasaheb Thorat, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan leader Raju Shetty, argued that it was imperative to bring back the ballot paper system of voting to restore people’s faith in elections.
Ajit Pawar said 21 parties had approached the Supreme Court and the Election Commission expressing doubts over the EVMs and asking that 50 per cent of the paper trail slips be tallied, but their requests were turned down.
Ajit was earlier sceptical of the possibility of EVM manipulation and had publicly differed with his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on the issue. He has changed his mind after experts gave demonstrations to show how the machines can be rigged, sources.
Raj Thackeray has taken the lead on this front. He petitioned the commission in Delhi a few days ago and he is meeting leaders of different political parties to prepare for a massive mass movement against EVM.
Thackeray has already discussed the issue with Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee and will meet other Opposition leaders soon. Both Sonia and Mamata have extended support and promised to intensify the agitation in the coming months.
Thackeray is personally convinced that only boycott of elections by all Opposition parties will force the commission to review its stubborn position. Many Congress leaders support the idea but are afraid of the fallout if some Opposition parties decide to participate, giving the electoral exercise some legitimacy.
Most sitting MLAs of the Congress and NCP see no point in contesting if the EVM issue is not satisfactorily addressed.
Thackeray said at the news conference: “Looking at the overall political environment in the country, the clouds of suspicion have surrounded the elections. Many people have voiced concerns over EVMs. There is a possibility of protests all over the country. The protest is not limited to Opposition parties. BJP-Shiv Sena should also join the protest against EVMs.”
He also raised questions over the manufacturing of EVM machines.
He said: “If EVM machine chips are being manufactured in the US, then how do Indians trust it? During Lok Sabha elections, discrepancies have been reported in 371 constituencies. Where one lakh people have voted, the EVM counting has recorded one lakh fifteen thousand votes. If the voting is conducted through ballot papers, it will help to end the doubts.”
