New Delhi, Alleging the irregularities in the Electronics Voting Machines (EVMs) used for the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections 2018, the Congress on Friday demanded re-polling through ballot papers to lend maximum transparency in the process.
The demand comes after DUSU poll results announced on Thursday in which ABVP candidates bagged the top three posts after the counting was held after hick-ups due to EVM malfunctioning allegations.
Addressing reporters, Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Friday alleged that the EVM had been tampered in favor of the ABVP and all of a sudden the machines started malfunctioning in the second session while NSUI was leading with a good margin in the initial six rounds of counting.
‘We will not stop at this and are analysing all legal aspects in this regard. We will move to the court as we have been approaching Delhi University since a couple of years regarding the EVMs and other problems that act as roadblocks in the election and counting transparency.
We had also asked the Delhi University to include Voter Verified Paper Trails so as to further assure accuracy and transparency however this was not considered, said NSUI president Fairoz Khan.
The outgoing president of the DUSU, who was also present while Mr Maken spoke to reporters, said, ‘while the counting was on we asked several important questions to the election officers and sought the necessary information. However, they did not talk straight and denied us relevant facts making excuses and diverting from the facts.’
Further one of the student wing leaders of the Congress also raised questions over the counting process alleging that it seemed ABVP was aware of what was happening.
Questioning the use of EVMs, Mr Maken said to ensure free, fare and transparent counting, it was the time to return to the paper ballot system not only in DU or university polls, but all elections in the country.
It was a close battle between the two important student parties during the several rounds of counting that concluded here on Thursday night.
ABVP candidates Ankiv Baisoya and Shakti Singh won the posts of President and Vice-President, while their candidate Jyoti Chaudhary won the post of Joint Secretary, while NSUI’ s candidate Akash Chaudhary won the post of Secretary.
The counting that began here on Thursday, had to be suspended in the middle, after some complaints regarding alleged faults in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) , however, after the matter was discussed by the University officials and the concerned student bodies and it was resumed.
NSUI, which was leading in the President and Secretary posts after six rounds of counting, alleged that EVM was tampered in the polls.
