Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has raised questions on the security of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results.
While addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav accused the Election Commission officials of tampering with the EVMs and said that he no longer trusts the poll body.
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The SP chief also alleged that the Varanasi District Magistrate (DM) was transporting EVMs without giving any information to local candidates and urged the EC to look into it.
“We need to be alert if EVMs are being transported this way. This is theft. We need to save our votes. We may go to court against it but before that, I want to appeal to people to save democracy.
Taking to Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav said that the news of the EVMs being caught in Varanasi is giving a message to every assembly of UP to be alert.
“All the candidates and supporters of SP-alliance should be ready with their cameras to thwart the attempt of rigging in the counting of votes. To protect youth democracy and future, become soldiers in counting of votes,” Akhilesh Yadav wrote in Hindi.
Meanwhile, after several exit polls predicted a victory for the BJP and its allies in the UP election, the SP chief said the exit polls only want to create a perception that the BJP is winning.
” The Samajwadi Party is winning Ayodhya, that is why the BJP is scared. Exit polls want to create a perception that the BJP is winning. This is the last fight for democracy,” Akhilesh Yadav added.
He further claimed that the SP-led alliance would form the next government in UP with over 300 votes.
Lending support to Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar has also come out in his support and targeted the EC using unparliamentary language calling the EC officials as “traitors”.
The RJD, an ally of SP in UP, through its official Twitter handle, hit out at the poll body and said that the supreme body to conduct elections in the country was celebrating its own death.
“The country’s election commission is celebrating its own death. What is the work of such a living dead commission ? Country and Karma does a lot of bad with such useless, negator and namak haram officials” RJD wrote in Hindi.
Officer suspended
Meanwhile, Varanasi officer suspended after Akhilesh Yadav’s “EVM chori” video.
Action has been ordered against a senior administration official of Varanasi in the row over voting machines that erupted in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. Sources said the Election Commission of India has ordered action over the alleged violation of rules in transportation of training EVMs. The Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh has been asked to take action against the official, Varanasi Additional District Magistrate, after the city commissioner admitted to lapses. NK Singh will be placed under suspension, sources said.
After a truck carrying voting machines was intercepted by party workers in Varanasi yesterday, the Samajwadi Party had accused the government of “theft”. Today, his party had tweeted a video of the official conceding there were “lapses”.