UDP to raise paper ballot with EC today

SHILLONG: UDP has decided to raise the need to go back to paper ballot in the upcoming Assembly polls during the meeting with the Election Commission of India on Friday.
During the two-day meeting, the Election Commission officials will meet political parties, SPs and DCs and excise and income tax officials.
UDP leader Bindo Lanong said the party would take up the pending issue with the officials.
Contradicting the views of NPP state president WR Kharlukhi, Lanong has reiterated the need to re-introduce ballot paper in the 2018 Assembly polls citing that if the US can use ballot paper for the presidential election, “why cannot a small state like Meghalaya use the same”.
“We had reiterated the need to have paper ballot in elections in the recent general council meeting of the party,” he said.
Recently, the NPP president had rejected Lanong’s stand and welcomed the use of EVMs.
However, the UDP leader said NPP legislator James Sangma had in 2013 said EVMs could not be relied upon.
“This means that the party president is going against the views of the party legislator and this is a contradiction,” Lanong said.
Lanong also hinted that NPP is hand in glove with BJP as far as the choice of EVMs is concerned.