Congress steps up anti-EVM attack, charges Centre of delaying paper trail

Says that until paper trail in all EVMs become a reality, govt should have paper ballot

The Congress’s suspicion on electronic voting machines (EVMs) seems to be growing by the day as the Grand Old Party further hardened its stance against EVMs and accused the Centre of deliberately delaying paper trail facility in ballots. 

A day after prime minister Narendra Modi termed protests against EVMs manufactured and urged the Opposition not to make it a big issue, the Congress stepped up its attack on the government and accused the Centre of violating an October 2013 Supreme Court order to ensure foolproof polls through paper trail.

Citing the communication of chief election commissioner to the Centre recently, Congress asked why the government has not provided Rs 3,000 crore to the poll panel so it can buy machines with paper trail facility. 

“India is stuck up. We neither have paper trail nor paper ballot,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, adding that the only other country using EVMs was South Africa.

Noting that 15 nations planned EVMs, eight operationalised and six reverted to paper ballot, the Congress said the Netherlands, Ireland, and Florida had experimented with EVMs but later decided to abandon them.

According to the Congress, of 1.6 million EVMs, only 58,000 have paper trail facility. While in recent UP polls, paper trail was in 20 constituencies, the poll panel has sought Rs 3,000 crore if the government wants this service for the 2019 national elections.

Expressing concern over the delay, the Congress leader said that at the current rate, it will take nearly 150 years to have paper trail in all constituencies in India.

The grand old party suggested that till the time paper trail in all EVMs became a reality, the government should have paper ballot for all future poll to ensure fair play.

The Congress also downplayed the comments of some senior leaders like Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, Karnataka chief minister K Siddaramaiah and Lok Sabha member M Veerappa Moily, all of whom have supported the EVMs saying these were not tampered with.

Singhvi said these were individual voices which were encouraged within a democratic party like the Congress but the organization had taken a considered view against the EVMs.

The Congress said it has forged an informal pact with around 17 opposition parties against faulty EVMs and has also petitioned the Election Commission and the President of India on its shortcomings.

Recently, in the Supreme Court, Congress spokesperson and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal supported a petition against faulty EVMs made by BSP supremo Mayawati. 

SP leader and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav who had joined hands with the Congress for the UP polls, too has expressed doubts over the functioning of the EVMs.