Bhupesh Baghel, Digvijaya Singh join chorus against EVMs

Expressing scepticism over the reliability of the electoral process involving EVMs, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel reportedly hinted at the possibility of hacking of the machines and appealed to party workers to file as many nomination papers as possible.

It has been Congress’s stand for long that elections should be conducted through ballot papers and not EVMs.

BJP’s hypocrisy will be exposed if elections are held through ballot papers, alleged Baghel as he appealed to the party workers to file as many nomination papers as possible.

“If the nomination count is above 384, the Election Commission will be compelled to revert to ballot paper voting,” Baghel claimed at a recent party meeting in Patan, his Assembly constituency in Durg district.

Baghel, while explaining the process to workers, said that each ballot unit has a capacity to display 16 candidates/symbols and is attached with a master control panel. If the candidate’s number is more than 16 then another parallel ballot unit is attached and the process can go on and on till maximum 24 ballots, accumulating to 384 candidates. The election commission in lieu of no preparedness beyond 384 candidates will be left with no option but to take recourse of voting through ballot papers.

The Chhattisgarh chief electoral officer Reena Baba Saheb had reportedly said that we are geared to handle a maximum 384 candidates through use of 24 ballot units attachments including NOTA. We will have to make some other arrangements if the count crosses the 384 mark.

Meanwhile, the BJP has taken objection to his remarks and filed a complaint with the EC. It accused Baghel of misleading the public, making provocative remarks against the EC. Baghel is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Rajnandgaon against the BJP’s sitting MP Santosh Pandey.

Earlier, former CM of Madhya Pradesh and senior congress leader Digvijaya Singh had vehemently opposed the use of EVMs, which according to him could be manipulated. Besides, Singh cast aspersions on free and fair conduction of election by ECI.

“My allegation is that ECI is not impartial," Singh claimed.

We expect impartiality from the commission. All the work related to EVM is done by private people. When software does everything, it will decide who will form the government, Singh claimed.