The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Janata Dal (United) has called for a ban on electronic voting machines (EVMs). The party’s State president, Govind Yadav, alleged that EVMs, for which parts are sourced from foreign vendors, were jeopardising Indian democracy.
JD(U)’s Bargi candidate Suraj Jaiswal claimed, on Tuesday, that in Shahpura polling station where 16 members of his family voted, the break-up of votes under Form 20 showed that he received only two votes. Similarly, Samajwadi Party’s Pushpa Ben in Jabalpur (West) received a single vote in the polling booth where she voted along with nine members of her immediate family.
These are similar to the objections raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy after the 2004 Lok Sabha polls in Madurai.
Mr. Swamy’s petition had led the Supreme Court to order introduction of a paper trail before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Jaiswal is collecting affidavits and videographing testimonies of voters to approach the High Court seeking a probe.
In the M.P. Vidhan Sabha elections, for which results were announced on December 8, several voting machines and their control units malfunctioned and re-polling had to be ordered in nine polling stations across the State. Candidates of many Opposition parties including the Congress, JD(U) and Samajwadi Party complained of the light emitting diodes blinking for the BJP when the button of some other party was pressed.
