Even as the Congress party has been raising the issue of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) after its drubbing in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections, its ally, the Trinamool Congress, doesn’t seem to be on board.
On Monday, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee dismissed the allegations of EVM hacking as just “random statements” and urged those who are making such allegations to demonstrate how the voting machines could be hacked.
“If work is done properly at the time of EVM randomisation and the people who work on the booth check during mock polls and counting, then I don't think there is any substance in this allegation," Banerjee, an MP from Diamond Harbour, was quoted as saying by ANI.
#WATCH | Delhi: On J&K CM Omar Abdullah's reported statement on Congress's EVM allegations, TMC MP and party National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, says "The people who raise questions on EVM, if they have anything then they should go and show a demo to the Election… pic.twitter.com/oXJYr09s0u
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2024
"If still someone feels that EVMs can be hacked, then they should meet the Election Commission and show how EVMs can be hacked...Nothing can be done by just making random statements,” he further said.
The Trinamool Congress leaders’ remarks came amid reports of widening fissures in the INDIA bloc with some of the allies demanding a change in leadership. Several parties have thrown their weight behind TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee who had earlier this month expressed her willingness to lead the alliance.
The differences in the opposition bloc over the EVM issues are likely to give ammunition to the BJP which has been maintaining that the machines are foolproof.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had raised doubts about the EVM functioning and demanded a return to the ballot paper in elections. He also called for a concerted campaign on the scale of Bharat Jodo Yatra to create awareness about it.
"Let them keep EVMs with them. We don't want EVMs, we want voting on the ballot paper. Then they will know what their position is and where they stand,” the Congress president had said.
The BJP took a sarcastic jibe at the opposition party, asking Kharge to consider "replacing" Rahul Gandhi instead of the voting machines.
“The problem is not in the machine (EVM). The problem is with the (Congress) leadership. The EVM is fine, Rahul is faulty. Replace Rahul, not EVM,” BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
