New Delhi: 21 opposition parties including Congress received a big jolt when the Supreme Court turned down their plea for rehearing and declared its earlier decision as final. With this decision of the Supreme Court, it has become clear that counting of 50% per cent EVM paper trail machines will not be done instead counting of only five in every assembly segment will be done.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that they are not inclined to modify their order.
Besides Congress, 21 political parties including SP, BSP, CPI, CPM, TMC, ADMK, BJD, TRS, JDS, RJD had filed a plea demanding counting of 50 pc EVM paper trailer. The opposition had first urged Election Commission but not getting any reply it moved to Supreme Court.
During a hearing, the Election Commission had argued that results of the Lok Sabha election could be delayed by five days if 50 per cent of voter-verifiable paper trail or VVPAT machines in every assembly segment were counted.