Congress appeals to Election Commission for meeting on VVPAT issue

INDIA bloc leaders

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh requested a meet with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify concerns made by the INDIA bloc leaders' delegation over voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), stated a report in ANI.

According to the report, the letter emphasised the delegation's continuous attempts to address Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) issues through a memorandum, pointing out that the ECI gave no meeting or hearing despite many requests.

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The letter referred to an explanation from the ECI as 'generic,' yet it detailed particular concerns voiced by the delegation in October 2023 that went unresolved. Despite numerous follow-up representations, the ECI did not respond.

The letter stated, "A request for an opportunity for a 3-4 member team of INDIA party leaders to meet with you and your colleagues and talk a few minutes to put forward our point of view on VVPATs. Surely, this is a perfectly reasonable and legitimate request. There was no meeting or hearing provided to the INDIA Parties' delegation despite repeated requests. On October 2, 2023, a follow-up representation was sent by us through counsel. The representation raised specific concerns which remained unaddressed in the ECI's clarification of August 23, 2023. No response was received on the same."

"We have been trying to meet with the ECI to hand over a copy of this resolution and have a discussion but have not been successful so far in doing so. INDIA parties reiterate that there are many doubts about the integrity of the functioning of the EVMs. These have been raised by many experts and professionals as well. There is widespread demand for a return to the ballot paper system," a statement of the bloc said after the meeting, the ANI report cited.

To ensure trust in free and fair elections, the resolution proposed a mechanism in which VVPAT slips are given over to voters for placement in a separate ballot box following verification, followed by 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips, the ANI report stated.

"Rather than falling into the box, the VVPAT slip be handed over to the voter, who shall then place it in a separate ballot box after having verified his or her choice. The VVPAT slips should then be counted completely."