Plot to tarnish polls globally: BJP brass

NEW DELHI: A day before the counting of votes for the keenly contested Lok Sabha polls, the BJP brass suspected a plot to discredit the polls globally in the light of the opposition campaign raising doubts over the sanctity of electronic voting machines.
“They have read the writing on the wall and the protests against EVMs are part of the plan to dub the popular verdict a ‘fraud’. PR agencies have been engaged in at least one major foreign capital as part of the plot to render the result controversial,” said a senior BJP source on Wednesday.
The growing indignation in BJP ranks, which sees the party as the sure-fire winner on Thursday, was evident when party president Amit Shah lashed out at opposition parties which have alleged that EVMs are vulnerable to manipulation, saying most of them had no problems when they won polls through voting machines but were raking up controversies in the face of “imminent defeat”.

Opposition disrespecting people’s mandate: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah lashed out at the opposition parties on Wednesday, accusing them of “disrespecting” people’s mandate by questioning EVMs and said it is “tarnishing” Indian democracy.
BJP ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan also accused opposition parties of working to “weaken democracy” by protesting against EVMs and attacking the Election Commission. He also claimed the attack on EVMs is because the opposition fears defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. “These people want to bring back the dark days of booth-capturing and the use of money and muscle power,” he said.
Citing a recent survey by CSDS showing preference for Narendra Modi as PM increased not only among BJP voters, but also voters of Congress, Left and other parties, a senior BJP leader said the opposition parties were behaving as if the PM’s popularity has taken them by surprise.
“The fact that PM Modi is widely trusted and popular is evident from various state elections as well as various national and international surveys. According to CSDS, the difference between Modi and his nearest rival is almost at 2014 levels. This has resulted into the farce of blaming EVMs,” the BJP leader said.
Shah in a series of tweets said opposition parties started protesting against EVMs only after the sixth phase of polling and intensified it after the exit polls. “How can you question EVM credibility on the basis of exit polls?” he asked.