Appealing to the ECI either to install Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVAPT) or Ballot papers or postpone polling dates of Narayanakhed Assembly constituency so as to protect democracy and ensure fair conduct of elections.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has addressed a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of India urging it to VVAPT or Ballot Papers in the current bye-election of Narayanakhede Assembly constituency. In his letter, TPCC Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy has stated that the preliminary data the party gathered from the contestants and the voters of Warangal Parliament Constituency and GHMC area convinced that the results did not depict the true mandate given by the voters and in several cases it is observed that the EVMs may have been tampered with to manipulate the results.
Several voters have approached the party that in many polling booths wherein they complained that their vote has not gone to their choice of contestant. Therefore, the party has serious doubts that the constitutional provisions are being violated and strongly believe that things are not in appropriate order as far as elections in Telangana are concerned. The Congress party has serious concerns that the government machinery who are supposed to be custodians of the constitution seem to be deliberately not adhering to their constitutional responsibility. In this context, there is a bigger danger that people might lose faith in elections and overall democracy itself.
Under the circumstances, the TPCC concluded that unless Election Commission of India (ECI) intervenes and rescue the people of Telangana, there was no question of fair conduct of elections in Telangana, he alleged. Uttam urged the ECI to ensure that VVPATs and along with EVMs are introduced or bring in ballot papers in place of EVMs in the upcoming by-election of Narayanakhede Assembly Constituency, Medak district so as to avoid any potential tampering of EVMs and provide fair play for all the political parties and also initiate appropriate action against the CEO, Telangana and State Election Commissioner, Telangana for violating the Indian constitution and for failing in their duty to safeguard the spirit of democracy.
He mentioned in the letter that the party had a suspicion in Warangal Parliament Constituency elections about the tampering of EVMs, but now the party convinced in the GHMC elections (that were completed as recently as on February 5) that EVMs were tampered and the results are manipulated. There, the party approached the ECI for justice though it is the last hour as the polling will be held on February 13 in Narayanakhede Assembly constituency. He appealed to the ECI that either ECI may install the VVPATs or Ballot Papers and if not postpone the polling dates of Narayanakhed Assembly Constituency so as to protect the democracy and ensure the fair conduct of elections. (NSS)
Uttam writes to ECI to install VVAPT in Narayankhed polling
