Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated her stand that electronic voting machines (EVM) can be manipulated, supporting similar concerns put up by the CPM and the BJP.
While leaving for New Delhi on Sunday, she reacted to CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri’s statement expressing doubts about the functioning of the EVMs.
On Saturday, BJP’s L K Advani too had demanded the reintroduction of ballot papers in elections.
Banerjee maintained she was the first to highlight that machines could be programmed to favour a particular candidate. “I have been saying that EVMs are being manipulated for years. Now they (CPM) are saying the same thing. I have said that EVMs should be replaced with ballot paper. However, we will accept what the Election Commission directs,” said Banrejee at her Kalighat residence.
The minister, however, did not miss a chance to take a dig at the CPM. “Since they are losing and cannot manipulate the EVMs in their favour, they are now raising this issue. Though the EVMs sent by the Election Commission are not easy to manipulate, for years the CPM has been manipulating those sent by the State Election Commission,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress chief claimed she had first detected CPM manipulating EVMs when they won a particular seat in the 2001 Salt Lake municipal elections. “Thereafter, I had raised the issue in all forums. I had also written to the Election Commission. Even in my book Keno Onoshon, I had highlighted the issue,” she added.
... contd.
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