By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Joining the controversy regarding the reliablity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) which have been questioned by several political parties, the UDP has urged upon the Election Commission to revert back to tried and tested ballot paper system.
“Questioned have been raised time and again over the functioning of the EVMs. Even in the recent Assembly election, several cases of malfunctioning of EVMs were reported from across the State,” UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh said here on Thursday.
Citing an example, he said that in Madanriting ‘G’ polling station under Nongkrem constituency, some votes could not be counted since “one of the EVMs was defective.”
“The Congress legislator from Nongkrem constituency Lambor Malngiang has even filed a case questioning the malfunctioning of the EVMs,” Lyngdoh said.
The party has submitted a memorandum to the poll panel demanding that the future election in the State should be conducted through ballot paper system.
He said “It is an open secret that the EVMs are neither fool proof nor tamper proof.”
“Therefore, I do not see any justification to use the EVMs since voters do not have the faith on this system,” the UDP working president said.
Supporting the KHADC MDCs concern over the unreliability of the EVMs, Lyngdoh said that his party would hold talks other political parties to jointly put pressure on the EC to do away with the EVMs.