A routine administrative move by the Election Commission of India, to shift electronic voting machines (EVMs) from Gujarat to Jammu and Kashmir for the Assembly polls there, has taken a surprise political turn. The controversy started with rumours that the EVMs had been “manufactured” in Gujarat and were programmed to ensure the BJP’s victory in the polls. Despite the EC clarifying that this was not true, and that the machines were only being moved for operational reasons, many in the Valley remain unconvinced. “We have to be doubly sure. The people of J&K are already asking why EVMs are being brought from Gujarat. An NGO created quite a stir by claiming that these machines could be tampered with,” J&K Congress president Saifuddin Soz told The Indian Express.
“People are asking why the machines are being brought from Gujarat and not any other state. I have promised them that there will be no rigging or malpractice during polls,” Soz said, adding that he would approach the EC soon. “Why do something like this and let doubts creep in?”
Despite fears of EVM tampering having been proved wrong, the ruling National Conference too has joined the bandwagon and is planning to take up the issue with the EC. “There is no justification to bring these machines from Gujarat. Why can’t EVMs be sent from Punjab or Haryana or Himachal Pradesh or even Delhi?” party general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said. “Except the BJP, every single party in J&K has expressed reservations on this move.”
Full Article: J&K parties spot another Gujarat factor: Protest to EC over EVMs ‘from that state’ | The Indian Express.