New Delhi: Amit Shah has questioned the opposition protest against Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) hours before the verdict to the 17 Lok Sabha elections are to be counted.
The BJP President reminded Arvind Kejriwal that in the last assembly elections in Delhi the AAP won 67 seats of the total 70 seats in the state. He said that Arvind Kejriwal did not have any objections then.
Amit Shah asked why Arvind Kejriwal, one of the strongest critic of EVMs, did not raise his objections then. Arvind Kejriwal favours ballot papers over EVMs to be used in elections across the country.
The BJP President also asked the opposition parties to take up the challenge of the Election Commissioner to publicly provide proof of hacking of the machine. He asked if continuously questioning the credibility of the EVMs is justifiable.
Amit Shah also questioned the timing of the opposition parties’ protests against EVMs. The opposition parties have come against the EVMs just after the exit polls in the country predicted a huge victory for the NDA.
Demanding a change into the way how votes are counted just two days prior to counting of votes goes against the constitutional ethos of the country.
The BJP National President also came down heavily against those who is seeking to unleash violence when faced with defeat. He said that some leaders are publically calling for violence in the country. The government will deal with such activities firmly.
Earlier, on Wednesday, The Election Commissioner rejected the opposition parties’ demand that VVPAT slips to be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes on 23 May.
Meanwhile, former Election Commissioner of India, O.P. Rawat said, “EVMs can’t be tampered with. EVM security protocol is so strict whenever a strong room has to be opened, representatives of all political parties have to be there, machines are taken out in their presence. ”
Rawat also said that EVM is a standalone machine which is not connected to the internet, wifi or even an electricity cable. The VVPAT sample is verified by the Indian Statistical Institute which also said that EVMs are completely safe and tamper-proof.
