Digvijaya Singh demands 'hand over VVPAT slips to voters', proposes 10-box counting process

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Monday appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips to voters in the state polls. Citing a report of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the trial of these machines in the state, Singh urged the commission to hand over VVPAT slips separately to voters, which would then be placed in a separate ballot box.

In a social media post on X, Singh emphasized the need for an additional layer of security and accountability in the voting process.

He proposed that the process would include counting the votes from ten such ballot boxes and comparing the results with those from the central counting unit. If the results from both sources match, the Congress leader suggested, the Election Commission would officially declare the outcome.

Singh argued that this procedure would bolster confidence in the electoral process and deter any potential tampering.

"Respected Election Commission, we have only one request, please hand over the VVPAT slip to us separately, which we will keep in a separate ballot box. Before counting, count the votes from any 10 ballot boxes and tally them with the results from the counting unit. If the result of both is same then declare the result from the results of the Counting Unit. What problem does the Election Commission have with this? We request the Supreme Court to take this matter seriously and save democracy in the country," Singh wrote on X.

The Congress leader also posted a YouTube link which showed that during the trial of EVM in Madhya Pradesh, the VVPAT slip of only one political party was received.

Reacting to Singh's social media post, state secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajneesh Agarwal, slammed Congress saying whenever the grand old party is losing badly in elections, they start blaming EVMs.

"Even after the allegations were rejected by the Supreme Court and ECI, Digvijaya Singh used to mislead the public and blame EVMs for the defeat of the Congress. There is no confidence left in Congress. Congress is already starting efforts to make such allegations," Agarwal said.

The issue of EVM tampering has been a contentious one in recent years, with concerns raised by various political figures and groups.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea against the Delhi High Court verdict which had dismissed a petition challenging the procedure adopted for conducting the 'first level checking' (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the general elections in 2024.

Former president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) Anil Kumar Kumar had approached the high court with a petition voicing concern about the procedure adopted during the preparation and conduct of FLC of EVMs and VVPATs intended for use in the 2024 general elections to the Lok Sabha.

The apex court said it was not a case that warranted its interference as the DPCC had chosen to stay away from the process when FLC exercise was demonstrated.

"The involvement of the political parties is one step in the process. It is not that if a political party does not attend, therefore, the entire process comes under the cloud," the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said.