Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on December 15 pushed for the use of ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for voting, pointing out that the country should adopt the system practised in developed countries like the United States, Japan and Germany.
“If you want to become a developed country, then why don’t you adopt the system of voting practised in developed countries? A country like America, which is powerful in economy, conducts voting through ballot for months; a country like Japan, which invented EVM, conducts voting through ballot; in Germany, their Supreme Court has imposed a ban that if voting is done through EVM then it is unconstitutional,” said Mr. Yadav.
The SP president added that the Union government said India wants to become the most developed and powerful country in the world, but wondered whether the nation should become stronger by distrust or doubt. “Should we want to become stronger by distrust and doubt? In the INDIA alliance, we will put forth the resolution to remove EVMs, the BJP will also get dislodged [from power],” he said.
As the principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, the SP has continuously batted for the ballot paper-based voting, instead of EVMs, and raised doubts over the credibility of the machines for registering votes.
