Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday blamed the Election Commission for "EVM-tampering fraud" and said the poll panel's only aim was to bring the BJP to power at any cost.
Kejriwal said 18 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had surfaced in Dholpur in Rajasthan which voted only for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) no matter which button was pressed by the voters.
The Dholpur by-election was held on Sunday.
"Eighteen EVMs in one constituency means at least 10 per cent of the total number of machines were tampered with," Kejriwal told the media, adding doubts also arose about the other 90 per cent machines.
"The Election Commission is still not ready to probe the issue of EVM tampering despite all the evidence... This raises suspicion if the tampering is being done on its directions," Kejriwal said.
He also referred to an earlier allegedly tampered EVM in Bhind in Madhya Pradesh.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader said the machines were not malfunctioning as claimed by the Election Commission but were actually tampered with.
"If there was some defect, then some machines would have voted for the Congress, some for the AAP and some for the BJP. But why are all defective machines voting only for the BJP?
"It means this is not a malfunction but the software of these machines have been tampered with or has been completely changed."
He asked why elections were being held at all and said the Commission should simply declare the BJP the winner in every election.
"Now the Election Commission is no more interested in conducting elections in a free and fair manner. It seems now their only objective is to bring the BJP in power at any cost."
The Chief Minister said all the EVMs for the Delhi municipal polls to be held on April 23 were being brought from Rajasthan although a large number of EVMs were available in Delhi.
"All EVMs in Rajasthan are manipulated. That is why they want elections using those machines."
Kejriwal had earlier demanded the use of paper ballot in Delhi's civic polls to ensure transparency - even if the election needed to be postponed because of this.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
)