State Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders sounded happy on Thursday over the possibility of ballot papers to be used for the upcoming local body elections instead of the EVMs, a day after the state election commissioner Subardhan had said that that state government had not released funds of Rs 17 crore for the purchase of the required EVM machines and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Notably, the BSP supremo Mayawati had raised a hue and cry over ‘rigged’ EVMs after her party’s stunning defeat in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election last year. The party has since been pitching for the election being held through ballot papers instead of the EVMs to ensure that the results reflect the true verdict of the people.
The state BSP chief Choudhary Charan Singh said while talking to The Pioneer on Thursday that his party is happy over the possibility of the civic body elections being held through ballot papers. “This is what we have been demanding since long. We also want the Lok Sabha election 2019 being held through ballot papers,” he said.
Asked whether BSP would tie up with Samajwadi Party (SP) for the upcoming local body election, he said that the party high command would take the final call on the matter. “However, we are quite capable of contesting and winning on our own. The people are looking forward to our party as Congress is fast losing relevance in the state. The people must choose us to throw out BJP which has angered the people through its anti-people policies and actions. The trend is clear as around 50 BJP workers have joined my party recently and the exodus would gain further momentum in the coming days,” he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP-helmed Government, the BSP leader said that the plight of the farmers and the traders as well as of the unemployed youths is miserable in the state. “Farmers and transporters are committing suicide while the youth without jobs are being driven to frustration,” he said.
Quizzed over his party’s involvement in the recent spell of violence unleashed during the stir against alleged dilution of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Singh said that his party had nothing to do with the spate of violence. “Our agitation during Bharat Bandh was peaceful. Some outsiders indulged in stone pelting and the like.
We are being maligned instead,” he added.