Introspect Punjab polls result, unfair to blame EVMs: EC to AAP

NEW DELHI: Amid allegations by AAP that EVMs were tampered with during the Punjab polls and fresh questions on the credibility of VVPATs in Madhya Pradesh, the Election Commission has responded strongly.

While it deputed a high-level team for supervising assembly bypolls in MP, it shot off a strong communication to AAP on Sunday, asking it to “introspect” on its poll performance.

“The Commission has put in place an elaborate technical and administrative system of safeguards to ensure error-free functioning of EVMs. It is for your party to introspect as to why your party could not perform as per your expectations and it is unfair on the part of your party to attribute unsatisfactory poll performance of your party to the alleged tamperability of EVMs. The Commission is fully satisfied with the tamper-proof functioning of EC-EVMs,” the EC said.

It has also ticked off AAP for projecting SC orders wrongly. “Hon’ble Supreme Court had never cast any aspersion or expressed any doubt that election process is interdicted/rigged by use of EVMs,” the EC said.

With regard to the MP incident, a high-level team led by Andhra Pradesh’s chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal (chief secretary-level officer) has been dispatched to ensure correct functioning of EVMs and voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) being deployed in two assembly constituencies in the state where bypolls are due.

The team will also include senior principal secretary RK Srivastava and principal secretary Varinder Kumar.