After poll setbacks, Congress wants EVMs to be junked, wants ballot papers back
Kharge charged that Modi’s was a minority government dependent on chief ministers N Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Nitish Kumar of Bihar to survive
Days after the Congress-led alliance was routed in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday sought a return to the ballot paper in place of the EVMs.
“We don't want EVMs (electronic voting machines), we want ballot paper,” PTI quoted him as saying at a party convention in New Delhi.
Kharge also called for campaign on the lines of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra to demand the use of ballot papers in elections as was the practice earlier.
SC junks call to axe EVMs
In a major stunner, the Congress-led alliance suffered a shock defeat in Maharashtra, winning less than 50 of the 288 seats. The BJP-led coalition swept the polls.
Also on Tuesday, Kharge’s demand for a return to the ballot paper was junked by the Supreme Court, which dismissed a petition seeking to revert to the earlier system of voting in India.
"What happens is when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale.
Congress for discussion on constitution
The petition also sought a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for at least five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material to the voters.
Meanwhile, Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and his party colleague Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, have sought a discussion on the constitution for two days in both Houses of parliament.
"Time should be allotted for that so that the good things about the Constitution can be discussed, and the wrong things that are happening today can also be discussed," Kharge told PTI.
Stop spewing hatred: Kharge
The Congress president claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fears caste census.
He added that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) really wanted unity in the country, they should stop spreading hatred.
‘Modi’s runs minority government’
Kharge also charged that Modi’s was a minority government dependent on chief ministers N Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Nitish Kumar of Bihar to survive.
“This government will fall if anyone (amongst them) withdraws support,” he said.
