After poll drubbing, defeated MVA candidates to seek EVM-VVPAT verification
What's the story
Candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), who were defeated in the recent Maharashtra assembly polls, are set to seek verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). The decision was taken after a meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray at his Mumbai residence on Tuesday. The meeting was convened after several losing candidates raised concerns of EVM tampering.
Results dispute
Election results spark controversy and calls for verification
The Mahayuti coalition of Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) held on to power with a massive 230-seat mandate in the 288-member House. The MVA, on the other hand, managed to win just 46 seats. Congress leader Arif Naseem Khan, who lost from Chandivali, raised questions over EVM tampering and said complaints from across the state need verification.
Verification rule
Supreme Court ruling allows EVM verification requests
According to a Supreme Court ruling on April 26, 5% of EVMs per constituency can be verified if candidates finishing second or third request it. The request has to be made within seven days post-results and involves a refundable fee of ₹41,000 if tampering is found. Khan revealed this to Thackeray while discussing the election results and complaints received from party workers.
Vote concerns
Allegations of vote discrepancies and EVM reliability questioned
A Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA from Mumbai also claimed discrepancies between votes polled and counted in EVMs. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh alleged Maharashtra's election outcome was manipulated to disturb the level playing field. Pawan Khera even questioned the reliability of EVMs by comparing them to exam paper leaks, further fueling the controversy surrounding the election results.
Re-election demand
Thackeray's remarks on election results and calls for re-election
Thackeray called the surprise election results a "tsunami" instead of a wave. He added that if Maharashtra's public doesn't accept these results, they will keep fighting. Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut called for a re-election using ballot papers over alleged EVM malfunctions and irregularities, adding to the post-election tensions in Maharashtra.