MCD election: Kejriwal asks poll panel to withdraw EVMs brought from Rajasthan

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday asked the state election commission to conduct the April 23 municipal polls in Delhi only through VVPAT-enabled electronic voting machines (EVMs), besides seeking withdrawal of all EVMs sourced from Rajasthan, which the election body is planning to deploy in the civic polls.

In a letter to state election commissioner SK Srivastava, AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also asked the election body to provide all political parties an opportunity to technically examine some of the EVMs from the lot that will be used in the MCD polls.

“All EVMs sourced from Rajasthan should be immediately withdrawn as they have been tampered with. All state and nationally recognised parties should be allowed technical examination of some of the EVMs, which are being used for MCD elections. MCD elections should be held only and only with VVPAT machines,” Kejriwal letter reads, adding that the SEC should accept his demand “as promptly as you have been accepting BJP’s demands so far”.

The AAP has been crying foul over use of EVMs in elections ever since its dismal performance in the assembly elections this year. The party had emerged a distant second after Congress in Punjab where it was confident of forming government in the state, and had failed to open its account in Goa.

Over the past few weeks, Kejriwal has been demanding use of paper ballot for all elections in future and had even requested the election body to postpone MCD polls if it requires time to prepare for changing the mode of elections.

In his letter, the Delhi CM also questioned the SEC for importing first generation EVMs from Rajasthan when Delhi already has enough EVMs to conduct the municipal elections.

Quoting news reports from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, AAP has alleged that EVMs are being ‘tampered’ to favour the BJP. The election commission of India has, however, rubbished such allegations.

“We strongly oppose the use of machines sourced from Rajasthan in MCD elections. There are 13000 booths in Delhi. EC keeps 10% machines as standby. Almost 15,000 EVMs are available in Delhi. Therefore you have sufficient machines in Delhi. Why are you insisting on conducting MCD elections with Rajasthan machines when it is clear that they are tampered,” Kejriwal’s letter read.

The AAP leader also questioned the election body for not making efforts to arrange for VVPAT-enabled EVMs when the “Supreme Court has categorically said that all elections should be held with VVPAT machines”.