Bad Losers Or Whistleblowers?

Mayawati, BSP

• On March 11, the day of the results, the BSP told the Election Commission in a complaint that its whistleblowers had information about BJP-hired software experts manipulating EVMs.

• That EVMs were set in such a way that a certain share of votes automatically got transferred to the BJP.

• Manipulation is absolutely clear, said BSP’s Devashish Jarariya, since prima facie 30-40% Muslim votes appear to have gone to BJP.

• The BSP hasn’t come up with evidence to back its charge, saying it was working on it

Arvind Kejriwal, AAP

• All forecasts showed a tight race between AAP and Congress.

• Anti-incumbency against Akali-BJP govt was clear, yet it got 30% vote. This doesn’t add up, he says.

• In Sujanpur Akhwa booth, AAP got 3 votes when its 7 local volunteers had 17 family votes. In booth 103, AAP got 2 votes against 27 family votes of 5 volunteers.

• Kejriwal wants EVM votes matched against paper records available for 32 Punjab seats

Maharashtra

• In Mumbai municipal polls last month, independent candidate Shrikant Shirsat claimed he got zero votes at his home booth in Saki Naka.

Election Commission’s response

• In a written response, the EC has said it found “no merit” in the BSP’s arguments and its complaint was not “legally tenable”

• The poll regulator says it is “fully satisfied” with the “tamper-proof functioning” of EVMs

• No political party has been able to “demonstrate” before the Commission that EVMs could be tweaked

• No complaint was made during the election process