Cong finally waking up to EVM threat: Saurabh Bharadwaj

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj on Saturday said that the Congress has finally woken up to the "EVM threat to democracy," adding that his party is demanding an all party meeting by the Election Commission over the use of ballot papers in the upcoming 2019 general elections.

On Saturday, the Congress party, during its 84th Plenary session, adopted a resolution to ask the EC to revert to the practice of paper ballot, stating that their are "apprehensions among the political parties and the people over the misuse of EVMs to manipulate the outcome contrary to the popular verdict."

Following this, Bhardwaj tweeted on his official Twitter handle, "Grand old party Congress finally wakes up to EVM threat to democracy.AAP demands All Party meeting by EC on use of ballot papers in next general elections. Detailed statement will follow."

"Political Parties and people are the main stakeholders in Democracy. EC should not toe the line of Central Govt, instead call for all party meeting. Why are they insisting on EVMs with no cross-verification?" his follow-up tweet stated.

The AAP has been one of the most vocal critics of the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during elections, often alleging that the machines are vulnerable to rigging and/or hacking through wireless means.

The resolution adopted by Congress at Saturday's plenary session comes as a boost for the AAP's repeated calls to resorting to paper ballot system of polling, so as to nullify any chances of rigging of EVMs.

During its political resolution at Saturday's plenary, the Congress underscored the need for ensuring free and fair elections to retain people's faith in the integrity of the electoral system.

"The EC has the constitutional mandate to ensure free and fair elections. Both the voting and counting process must remain transparent to retain people's faith in the integrity of the electoral system," the resolution stated.

"Though the Congress – which is the oldest political party in the country – has woken up more than a year after the AAP had first exposed the dangers posed by the EVMs to the parliamentary democracy of India, it is still a matter of satisfaction that more and more parties are coming forward to safeguard democracy," said Bhardwaj, the AAP MLA from Greater Kailash.