Advani finds support from rivals on EVM issue

BJP leader L K Advani on Sunday found support from rivals CPI(M), JD(S) and LJP for his suggestion for re-introduction of ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

BJP leader L K Advani on Sunday found support from rivals CPI(M), JD(S) and LJP for his suggestion for re-introduction of ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

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Advani has not cast any doubts on the results of the Lok Sabha elections but feels the country should revert to ballot papers starting with the Maharashtra Assembly elections in October and some more states later unless the Election Commission was able to ensure that EVMs were fool-proof and every possibility of malfunctioning has been taken care of.

However, the Congress has reacted saying it was an "astonishing" statement of a losing party which was in search of wrong answers for its loss.

There was no immediate comment from the Election Commission as CEC Naveen Chawla and EC S Y Qureshi are away on a trip abroad while the other Commissioner V S Sampath is in Hyderabad on leave.

However, Qureshi was earlier quoted as having said that the Commission was absolutely satisfied that the EVMs could not be manipulated and that a technical committee headed by former IIT-Madras Director P V Indiresan was in place to ensure this.

Recently, the controversy over the EVMs gained momentum when former Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal gave a presentation to the Commission as to how EVMs can be programmed to manipulate results, after which the Commission asked a Deputy Commissioner to probe the matter.