The INDIA alliance has decided to approach the Supreme Court regarding the alleged tampering of EVMs and VVPAT machines in the Maharashtra assembly elections. This decision came after a high-level meeting on Tuesday night, attended by key leaders such as NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, and senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Trust in the Supreme Court
Prashant Sudamrao Jagtap, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed the alliance’s trust in the Supreme Court. He stated, “In today’s meeting (at NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence), we have decided to approach the Supreme Court as the INDIA alliance regarding the scam that happened in Maharashtra assembly elections to make the BJP-led alliance win. This includes the issue of an increase in vote numbers and tampering in EVM and VVPAT. All the parties within the INDIA alliance in Maharashtra will go to the Court. We have faith in the Supreme Court and we expect that the SC will pronounce an order in our favor and against the scam.”
Supriya Sule Joins the Meeting
Supriya Sule, an NCP (SP) MP, also participated in the meeting. She discussed critical national issues with other leaders. She posted on X, “Joined Hon. Pawar Saheb in a pivotal meeting with Arvind Kejriwal ji, Sanjay Singh Ji, and NCP (SP) MPs, MLAs, and assembly candidates. Deliberated on critical issues impacting the nation and charted a strategic way forward.”
Maharashtra Election Officials Defend EVMs
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Kiran Kulkarni, defended the EVMs against allegations of tampering. He explained that tampering is impossible due to the technology involved. He said, “I say this with full responsibility, EVM cannot be hacked. EVM cannot be tampered with. There is a simple reason for this. First, it is a standalone machine… no connection with any network or outer gadget. So, hacking or tampering is not possible. Second, the chip used in it is one-time programmable, so there cannot be any reprogramming.”
He also pointed out that the Election Commission of India (ECI) follows a clear procedure, which matches the VVPAT slips with the votes cast through EVMs. This process ensures the accuracy of the results before they are finalized.
No Discrepancy in Vote Counts
In addition, Maharashtra’s Chief Election Officer, S Chockalingam, addressed the opposition’s allegations regarding EVM legitimacy. He confirmed that no mismatch was found between the VVPAT slips and the votes registered on EVMs. This statement reaffirmed the reliability of the election process.