The eight assembly seats are up for bypolls after eight Congress MLAs resigned ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls. (Representational)
Congress legislator and deputy leader of opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Shailesh Parmar has approached the Election Commission on Friday demanding that the bypolls to eight assembly seats in Gujarat be held through ballot paper system and not electronic voting machines (EVMs).
“Amid the pandemic, there is going to be bypolls to the eight assembly seats later this year in Gujarat. In each seat, there are at least 2 lakh voters and on an average every polling booth will have 1,000 registered voters who will come in contact with a single EVM machine while voting. There is a threat of Covid-19 infection as the EVM machine buttons will be pressed by thousands of voters. We demand that the bypolls be held on ballot paper to stop spread of the infection,” read a statement released by the office of Parmar.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat BJP said in a statement that the party and its cadres were ready to face the election.
“It is upto the EC to decide when it wants to hold by-election to these eight seats. It’s a democratic procedure to hold election on a seat within six months of an MLA’s resignation. But the EC should also take into consideration the prevailing coronavirus situation in the state,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.
“No matter when the elections are scheduled, the BJP is ready because our workers always remain amongst people to serve them. We are confident of winning all the eight seats,” he said.
The eight assembly seats are up for bypolls after eight Congress MLAs resigned ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.
With Inputs FromPTI