Protest held in Ghaziabad against irregularities in electronic voting machines

A group of protesters on Tuesday, at the district headquarters of Ghaziabad, demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in votes registered through the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recently concluded assembly elections.

A group of protesters on Tuesday, at the district headquarters of Ghaziabad, demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in votes registered through the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recently concluded assembly elections.

The protesters alleged that there were several irregularities in EVMs that led to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gaining the majority of seats in the UP assembly elections. (Sakib Ali/HT)

The protesters alleged that there were several irregularities in EVMs that led to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gaining the majority of seats in the UP assembly elections. However, none of the protesters could explain the issue or support their allegations with facts.

“We just read the news and also received messages on social media that EVMs led to the victory of the BJP. Even Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati had raised the issue with the Election Commission,” Pranvir Singh, a protester, said.

“We demand that an inquiry be initiated and the formation of the government be put on hold. Also, we want an assurance that only paper ballots will be used in future elections,” Ajay Kumar, another protester from Vijay Nagar, said.

Some even claimed they had data of polling booths, even before the administration could come out with the official data. However, none of them could produce the data when sought.

Priti Jaiswal, the additional district magistrate (city), was handed over the memorandum by the protesters, who claimed that they did not belong to any political party.

In the recently concluded UP assembly elections, the BJP secured a majority of 312 seats while the Congress-SP alliance and BSP got a drubbing and secured 47 and 19 seats, respectively.

Immediately after the results on Saturday, BSP chief Mayawati had alleged that the EVMs were “faulty” and that the EVMs did not register the votes cast for parties other than the BJP. Some of the leaders of political parties, who had lost, also supported her claims. A letter was also sent to the chief Election Commissioner.

In its reply, the ECI reiterated that the EVMs were foolproof and also explained in detail the technical security, procedural security and judicial pronouncements made about the use of EVMs.