Congress Slams EC For Refusal To Meet INDIA Bloc Leaders On VVPAT issue
As the country celebrates National Voters” Day on Thursday, Congress criticised Election Commission of India (ECI) for refusing to meet INDIA Bloc leaders regarding their demand for greater use of VVPATs in polls. Congress MP and general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh on his social media platform X referred Election Commission”s continued refusal is an “injustice” and it attacks the very foundation of democracy.
“Every year 25 January is celebrated as National Voters” Day by the Election Commission of India. But it is a pity that this independent body is refusing to meet a delegation of leaders of India”s parties, who only want to present their views on better use of VVPATs which are created immediately after the voters cast their votes,” Jairam Ramesh wrote.
भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा हर साल 25 जनवरी को राष्ट्रीय मतदाता दिवस के रूप में मनाया जाता है। लेकिन यह अफ़सोस की बात है कि यह स्वतंत्र संस्था INDIA की पार्टियों के नेताओं के एक प्रतिनिधिमंडल से मिलने से इंकार कर रही है, जो केवल मतदाताओं के द्वारा वोट डालने के बाद तुरंत बनने वाले…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 25, 2024
He then added that VVPATs are merely paper audit trail. “The continued refusal by the Election Commission of India is an injustice and an attack on the very foundation of our democracy – the right of a voter to verify that his or her vote has been correctly recorded,” he added.
Jairam Ramesh even earlier has written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar requesting INDIA bloc leaders meeting with them in order to discuss their proposals and suggestions for the use of VVPATs in elections. Leaders of the several opposition parties has expresses doubts regarding the integrity of the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and advanced that VVPAT slips be handed over to voters and “100% counting of VVPAT slips should then be done”.
The recent victories of the BJP in the state assembly elections has prompted the opposition to put forward the issue of EVMs and felt that the entire opposition coalition should raise the concern unitedly.
Meanwhile, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X wrote that National Voters” Day reasserts the power of the people to decide their destiny by exercising the freedom to elect their own representatives.
National Voter’s Day reaffirms the power of the people to determine their own destiny by exercising the freedom to elect their own representatives.
We are proud that the election process of Universal Adult Suffrage, has deepened to the grassroots — Panchayat and Urban Local… pic.twitter.com/gBSUGlofAT
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 25, 2024
