Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was attempting to hack electronic voting machines (EVM) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the issue would be discussed at the next meeting of Opposition parties under the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Alliance, Inclusive Alliance) banner.
“They [the BJP] have already begun their planning [for 2024 elections]. They are making various arrangements to hack electronic voting machines [used in elections]. We have received such information and have already found some evidence. We are also looking for more. This will be discussed during the next meeting of INDIA alliance members, whenever the date for the same is finalised,” Ms. Banerjee told journalists at the State Secretariat.
She made the remarks while responding to a question by a journalist on a research paper suggesting possible manipulation in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Trinamool Congress chairperson also alleged that the saffron party may use violence to achieve electoral outcomes in its favour. “Violence has always been a part of BJP’s dictionary,” Ms. Banerjee said.
She asserted that the Opposition INDIA bloc would save the country from disaster, communal tension, and unemployment, after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“INDIA will win the 2024 election and form the government. It will save the country from disaster, communal tension and unemployment,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The CM also noted that petrol pump attendants had been made to wear saffron uniforms. “Saffron is a mark of devotion, sacrifice, and purity. People will not accept it if it is used as a symbol of oppression,” she said.
Responding to the remarks by the Chief Minister, West Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said Ms. Banerjee was making these statements because her party was facing defeat in the next Lok Sabha polls.
“She [Ms. Banerjee] has always been in favour of ballot papers, not EVMs, because it is easier to manipulate ballots and eat ballot papers,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
During the recently concluded panchayat polls in West Bengal, there was an instance of ballot papers being thrown into ponds, and in a few cases, candidates tried to eat ballot papers.
