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Updated June 24th, 2019 at 12:02 IST

NO to EVMs, YES to paper ballots: Trinamool MPs stage protest outside the Parliament

Trinamool MPs staged dharna in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Parliament over the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the morning of June 24.

Reported by: Digital Desk
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On June 24, Trinamool MPs staged a dharna outside the Parliament protesting over faulty EVMs and demanded replacement with postal ballots.

Amid complete breakdown of the law and order in the state of West Bengal with the government claiming no responsibility, the TMC MPs protested against the use of EVMs in place of paper ballots. 

The party, which has been crying foul over the use of EVMs in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls, Monday said their agenda for the protest was - "No to EVMs, Yes to paper ballots." 

TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier raised questions over the electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the polls and urged opposition parties to unitedly demand the return of ballot papers. 

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said a fact-finding committee should be constituted to find out the details about the EVMs used in the recent polls. 

     

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on June 13 had claimed that majority of EVMs were pre-programmed by the BJP during the recent Lok Sabha polls, and urged all opposition parties to form a fact-finding team to unearth the truth.

READ: 'Mamata, TMC Are Not Able To Accept Political Defeat, Unleashed A Reign Of Political Terror,' Says BJP's Chandra Kumar Bose On Violence In Bengal

"We have already discussed this with Congress. If required, we shall move court challenging this electoral malpractice," Banerjee had said. She wondered how BJP leaders could predict the near- exact figures of the poll results before they were announced.

"How the BJP leaders came to know beforehand that it will win in over 300 seats in the country and 23 in Bengal? The final tally was close to what they had predicted. The EVMs were all pre-programmed by the BJP," she claimed during an interview to a Bengali news channel.

The chief minister had alleged that the programming was done keeping in mind the possible transfer of votes among parties. Mamata Banerjee also appealed to supporters of the Left parties to refrain from joining the BJP, and instead come to the TMC fold, which will "look into their interests".

READ: BJP Pre-programmed EVMs During Lok Sabha Polls: Mamata Banerjee

She had accused the BJP of spending huge amount of money to influence the voters, and said the Trinamool Congress had lodged several complaints to the Election Commission in this regard, which "fell on deaf ears".

"The BJP not only utilised money power but also used all government agencies against the opposition parties for political gains," she had said. The chief minister had also criticised the poll panel for failing to operate in an impartial manner. 

(With agency inputs)

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Published June 24th, 2019 at 11:14 IST

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