New Delhi, December 11: The INDIA bloc has announced plans to approach the Supreme Court regarding allegations of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) tampering in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections. The decision was made during a high-level meeting attended by NCP(SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Opposition’s Allegations
Prashant Sudamrao Jagtap, Pune President of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), claimed the BJP-led alliance manipulated the elections to secure victory. “We have decided to approach the Supreme Court as an alliance regarding the scam in Maharashtra assembly elections. This includes vote increases and tampering with EVMs and VVPATs. We trust the Supreme Court to deliver a fair judgment against this alleged scam,” Jagtap told media.
Supriya Sule also emphasized the strategic discussions held during the meeting. “Joined Hon. Pawar Saheb in a pivotal meeting with Arvind Kejriwal ji, Sanjay Singh ji, and other leaders to deliberate on critical issues impacting the nation and chart a way forward,” she posted on X.
Election Officials Refute Allegations
Maharashtra’s Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Kiran Kulkarni, dismissed the allegations, asserting the integrity of EVMs. “EVMs cannot be hacked or tampered with. These are standalone machines with no external connections. The chips used are one-time programmable, ensuring no reprogramming is possible,” Kulkarni stated.
He further explained that the Election Commission of India (ECI) employs stringent procedures, including matching VVPAT slips with EVM votes, to eliminate discrepancies. “This process is observed before the declaration of final results to ensure accuracy,” he added.
Chief Election Officer S. Chockalingam also rejected the opposition’s claims, confirming that no mismatches were found between VVPAT slips and EVM numbers during the Maharashtra elections.
Next Steps
Despite the electoral officials’ clarifications, the INDIA bloc remains resolute in challenging the election results, citing concerns over transparency and fairness. The Supreme Court case will mark a significant step in the ongoing dispute between the opposition and the BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra.