Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Naseem Khan on Thursday alleged the Election Commission (EC) was functioning like a “political party worker” and warned of approaching the Supreme Court if EVM verification was not conducted as per judicial guidelines.
Talking to reporters here, the former Maharashtra minister said several political parties across states have, over the past few years, raised concerns over alleged irregularities in polls, including discrepancies in electoral rolls and electronic voting machines (EVMs), but the EC has failed to provide satisfactory responses.
Referring to the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Khan said he had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court alleging irregularities in EVMs in the Chandivali constituency in the metropolis, where he was the Congress candidate.
The former MLA stated that the court had directed inspection of the machines, and scrutiny of some EVMs is taking place in Borivali in suburban Mumbai over two days – April 16 and 17.
However, despite court orders to conduct EVM verification along with polling data, the EC was avoiding compliance as per judicial guidelines, alleged Khan, who lost from Chandivali in 2024.
He further claimed that the commission’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to EVMs were inconsistent with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.
“The control unit (CU), ballot unit (BU) and VVPAT were merely connected and demonstrated, which we oppose,” the Congress leader stated, adding a representation has been submitted to the commission seeking EVM verification in line with apex court guidelines.
Notably, verification involves matching of EVM and VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails) counts. The VVPAT is an independent vote verification system which enables electors to see whether their votes have been cast correctly.
Khan warned that if his demand was not accepted, he would move the Supreme Court.
He stressed that elections in a democracy must be conducted in a free and transparent manner, and said ensuring this was the Election Commission’s duty.
Khan referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who he said, has consistently raised questions about the functioning of the poll body.
He insisted the EVM verification issue was not limited to a single assembly segment (Chandivali), but was part of a broader effort to safeguard the integrity and transparency of the electoral process, asserting his party would continue to fight to protect democracy. PTI MR RSY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.