Kharge Calls For Bharat Jodo Yatra-Like Movement For Ballot Paper Elections
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today called for a campaign on the lines of Bharat Jodo Yatra for return of ballot paper and do away with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The Congress president’s announcement comes at a time when the Opposition parties are alleging large scale rigging of EVMs in recently held Maharashtra elections. The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was decimated in the state elections by the hands of BJP-led Mahayuti. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, Mahayuti has secured 230 seats which left the legislature without an opposition leader.
EVM ❌
बैलेट पेपर ✅ pic.twitter.com/rOBlq7l4Kq— Congress (@INCIndia) November 26, 2024
“We don’t want elections through EVMs. We want elections through ballot papers. Just like we had carried out the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, we will run a nationwide campaign for elections using ballot papers,” Kharge said. The Congress chief alleged that some people praise the Constitution, but only superficially while trying to undermining it.
Read Also: ‘Over 5 Lakh Excess Votes’: Mismatch In Votes Polled And Counted In Maharashtra, Says Report
“To protect the Constitution, Rahul Gandhi ji launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and to save democracy, all minorities came forward, which is why we were able to stop PM Modi,” he said, noting that the ruling government is not a majority one, which is standing with the support of TDP’s TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu, and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. “This government will fall if anyone withdraws support,” Kharge asserted.
Read Also: Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Booth-Level Manipulation – Cites Kundarki
During the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, the MVA alliance had secured 31 out of 48 parliamentary seats, while the Congress emerged as the single largest party. Notably, the sudden change in people’s mandate in the assembly election, in which the grand old party was reduced to only 16 out of 288 seats, has been suspicious for the party.
Notably, a recent report by news portal The Wire revealed some of the discrepancies and mismatches in the number of votes polled and the votes counted. The media house cited several constituencies in which there were additional votes counted than it polled. According to the report, over five lakh additional votes were counted in the recently declared Maharashtra assembly elections.
