Left for all-party meet, says confidence on EVMs 'stands shaken'

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja on Thursday said the confidence on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) stands shaken, adding the ball is now in the Election Commission's court to restore confidence of skeptics on the same.

Talking to ANI here, the CPI leader backed the opposition parties' demand for ballot paper-based elections instead of the EVMs.

"Even the Supreme Court has conceded that there is lack of faith on EVMs. We told the EC that confidence on the EVMs stands shaken. Therefore, the EC should take note of it and call an all-party meeting," said Raja, adding that the central poll body has agreed to call an all-party meeting at the earliest.

Admitting that there are some reports suggesting the malfunctioning of the EVMs, Raja further said it is alleged that the EVMs can be tampered with.

"But when we move towards new technology, it needs to be verified," he added.

The CPI leader further said the poll body should in the all-party meeting explain how the EVMs are manufactured and how chips are imported or manufactured indigenously.

He said the Election Commission's call to prove that the EVMs could be tampered with is not a 'challenge', adding the poll body defended its position.

The Election Commission yesterday issued a challenge to all political parties to prove that the EVMs can be tampered with. This came after Congress, Left, AAP and others claimed that the EVMs were tampered with to favour the BJP.

Replying to a poser on Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's views on the EVMs, Raja said there may be some conflicting views, but the Congress as a party is with all other political parties on the row.

The Punjab Chief Minister left the Congress red-faced on Wednesday with his assertion that if the EVMs were tampered with then he would not have been in power.