Congress Leader Questions EVM Integrity After Civic Poll Loss in Chhattisgarh
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Synopsis
Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij raised concerns over EVM issues following the party's failure to win any mayoral seats in the recent civic elections. Complaints about EVM malfunctions and manipulation have surfaced amidst the BJP's sweeping victories.
Key Takeaways
- Deepak Baij questions EVM reliability.
- BJP wins all 10 mayoral elections.
- Concerns over VVPAT machine usage.
- High voter turnout at 72.33%.
- Political scrutiny of EVMs continues.
Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Feb 16 (NationPress) The President of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, Deepak Baij, expressed skepticism regarding the functionality of EVMs after the party was unable to secure a victory in any of the 10 mayoral elections held in the state.
“Concerns regarding EVMs freezing, the absence of VVPAT machines accompanying the EVMs, and the utilization of a single EVM for both mayoral and councillor elections are significant issues that cast doubts on the possibility of manipulation,” Baij stated to IANS.
Voicing his apprehensions about the civic election outcomes, Baij noted that there were reports of EVM malfunctions even during the Assembly elections, which the BJP had won.
“There was an initial effort to postpone the civic elections, followed by a push for conducting the elections via ballot paper. Ultimately, EVMs were employed, which we suspect may have been tampered with,” remarked Baij.
EVMs are currently under scrutiny by all political parties and experts. The Supreme Court has also emphasized that voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines are crucial, according to Baij.
After the BJP achieved sweeping victories in the civic elections on Saturday, BJP National President J.P. Nadda and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed it as a historic mandate endorsing ‘Modi ki Guarantee’.
In a media briefing, CM Sai stated, “The BJP has secured a remarkable victory in the municipal elections, reflecting the trust the people of Chhattisgarh have in the party. Voters have shown their confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his leadership.”
The BJP emerged victorious in all 10 mayoral elections, namely – Raipur (Mayor Meenal Choubey); Jagdalpur (Sanjay Pandey); Chirimiri (Ram Naresh Rai); Ambikapur (Manjusha Bhagat); Raigarh (Jeevardhan Chauhan); Korba (Sanju Devi Rajput); Bilaspur (Puja Vidhani); Dhamtari (Jagdish Ramu Rohra); Durg (Alka Baghmar) and Rajnandgaon (Madhusudan Yadav).
In total, Chhattisgarh boasts 10 municipal corporations, 49 municipal councils, and 114 panchayats. Elections for the urban local bodies (ULBs) were conducted on February 11, recording a turnout of 72.33 percent.
According to the results announced on Saturday, the BJP won all 10 mayoral elections, along with 35 out of 49 municipal councils and 81 out of 114 panchayats.
Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party secured a victory in one municipal council (Bodri in Bilaspur district), while the BSP won in one panchayat.
