The Aam Admi Party is free to file an election petition in the state high court if it wants to verify votes cast in Punjab polls with data of paper trail, the Election Commission said today.

In a strongly-worded letter, the EC also said it is for the AAP "to introspect as to why your party could not perform as per your expectations and it is unfair on your part to attribute unsatisfactory poll performance of your party to the alleged tamperability of EVMS."

The poll watchdog said after declaration of results only alternative available to verify the data of votes cast is to file an Election Petition before the High Court concerned.
The AAP alleged that poll authorities in Punjab had refused to accept its demand to tally results with paper trial audit.

The party had moved the Commission over reliability of the machines and the results of Punjab polls.