Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the fight for doing away with electronic voting machines (EVMs), used in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, is a “long one...and will go on”. He appealed to people to vote for the opposition INDIA bloc so that they can form the government at the Centre and subsequently remove the EVMs.
“Though everyone accepts the SC’s judgment on EVMs, the fight against them will go on,” he added. Talking to reporters in Kasganj, the SP chief said: “There is a long fight ahead against VVPAT, EVMs and for ballot paper. Whatever decision the Supreme Court takes, everybody will accept that but the fight won’t stop.”
His remarks came after the Supreme Court rejected all the petitions seeking the complete verification of votes cast through EVMs with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips on Friday.
“This fight is essential because there are several countries in the world that consider voting through EVMs unconstitutional. Germany, which is a strong and advanced nation and far ahead of us, considers voting through EVMs unconstitutional.”
“Since two phases of elections are already over and we are in the third phase, I would like to say that you should make INDIA bloc and Samajwadi Party win, form the government and remove EVMs,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Since two phases of elections are already over and we are in the third phase, I would like to say that you should make INDIA bloc and Samajwadi Party win, form the government and remove EVMs,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Later, addressing a rally in Kasganj, the SP chief alleged that the UP government deliberately leaked exam papers to avoid giving jobs to the youth. “They have snatched your jobs and failed to generate employment. The youth must think seriously about this, the BJP has ruined one-third of your lives,” he further alleged.