Nashik: The United Front has intensified its demand to reinstate ballot papers, calling for the removal of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the election procedures in order to safeguard democracy. In an effort to voice their concerns, the United Front also submitted a letter to the Collectorate.

Bharat Mukti Morcha, Advocate Committee Nashik, citizen organisations and like-minded citizens carried a “funeral procession” of EVM and protested against their use for elections. The protestors chanted slogans like “EVM Hatao, Desh Bachao,” during the procession.

Senior advocates from the district court highlighted the contentious history of EVM usage in Indian elections since 1999. Citing transparency issues and questionable results, intellectuals, opposition parties, and various political entities have vehemently opposed the EVM system. Despite claims by the Election Commission regarding the inviolability of EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), doubts persist regarding the vulnerability of electronic devices to remote influence, they stated.

The United Front listed several objections to EVMs, including concerns about missing machines, international precedents of halting EVM usage due to hacking, lack of voter confidence in EVM accuracy, discrepancies in vote counting and alleged political affiliations of EVM manufacturers. Additionally, doubts regarding the security of EVM passwords and technical oversight further fuelled the call for a return to ballot paper elections.

The demand to scrap EVMs has garnered widespread support from Supreme Court lawyers, social organisations and concerned citizens, reflecting growing discontent and a push for electoral reform to uphold the integrity of the democratic process.

Published on: Friday, March 01, 2024, 04:14 PM IST