By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The UDP and HSPDP have questioned the efficacy and credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during their meeting with the Election Commission officials.
“We have placed our concern over the doubts rallying over the EVMs,” UDP spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh informed after the meeting with the Election Commission officials here on Monday.
Lyngdoh informed that they have also cited instances which have put a serious question on the credibility of the EVMs.
“We have also impressed upon the ECI to introduce the upgraded EVMs,” the UDP spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, HSPDP spokesperson G Nonglong said that the party has also raised the question before the ECI on whether the EVMs were fool proof.
“We have narrated the bitter experience we had with the EVMs during the 2009 Lok Sabha election. We were caught surprised that our party candidate got few votes from areas which were a strong base of the party,” Nonglong said.
He said that he has suggested to the ECI that there should be re-check on all the EVMs two hours before the polling begins.
“We have also urged the Election Commission not to keep a huge gap between the polling and counting day. If there is a huge gap, there are strong possibilities that the EVMs might be tampered with,” he said.
While informing that they have also raise the issue of enrollment of dubious people in the electoral rolls, Nonglong informed that they have taken up the issue of the status of voters residing in villages close to the inter-State border of Assam and Meghalaya.
“We have highlighted about the Supreme Court ruling on the status of the voters residing along the inter-State border. We have told the ECI that the apex court has directed to maintain status quo if there are such cases,” he said while adding that with the apex court ruling, the villagers who are inside the Meghalaya border would have to cast their votes in the State.
Official sources revealed that the Election Commission officials have assured to conduct an orientation programme for all candidates on the various features of the EVMs.
“The ECI would be conducting this exercise to infuse confidence on the reliability of the EVMs,” official sources said.
On the demand to introduce the upgraded EVMs, official sources said that the ECI has expressed its difficulty to introduce the upgraded EVMs since this new system is still under examination.
The official sources also said that the ECI expressed its inability to arrange for the counting immediately after the polling since they are simultaneously holding election in three states.
According to official sources, the ECI assured that they would hold the counting of votes for the three states including Meghalaya on the same day.
On the status of the voters along the inter-State border of Meghalaya and Assam, official sources said that the ECI has asked Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Prashant Naik to look into the matter.