Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA claims EVMs are easily manipulated, demands Assembly elections in Maharashtra using ballot papers

Mumbai: Alleging that EVMs are being manipulated, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) on Tuesday demanded that upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra be held through ballot papers. VBA leader AR Anjaria said the electronic voting machines are not reliable, and that even the counties like the USA have discontinued their use.[caption id="attachment_4284393" align="alignleft" width="380"] File image of  Prakash Ambedkar, head of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. News18[/caption]"We are witnessing widespread protests across the country against faulty EVMs which can be manipulated. Even technologically advanced countries like the USA and Spain which invented EVMs have started using ballot papers for voting. Only a few parties like the BJP and the Shiv Sena are silent on EVMs," he said.The VBA, headed by Dalit leader, was formed ahead of the recently-held Lok Sabha elections. It also comprises of AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi. The front contested all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. AIMIM candidate Imtiyaz Jaleel won his maiden victory in the polls. Anjaria said the VBA would hit the streets if poll authorities failed to accept their demand."Voting through ballot papers maintains the secrecy of votes and is a scientific method," he told reporters. Maharashtra goes to polls in September-October this year. VBA's Mumbai coordinator Anand Jadhav said the delegation had submitted a memorandum to poll officials in Maharashtra."We apprised election commission officers about how a mismatch between the vote count through EVMs and VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) slips is reported across the country," he said.Last week, the EVM Virodhi Rashtriya Jan Andolan had called upon political parties and the people to boycott forthcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana if the Election Commission fails to conduct them through ballot papers.