BHAYANDAR: After launching a series of stirs seeking more transparency in Election Commission of India’s (ECI) voting mechanism, members of the Bahujan Kranti Morcha (BKM) have now geared up to launch a nation-wide agitation from May 23, to register their protest against the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), compounded by the restricted utilisation of VVPAT (Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail) and alleged contempt of judicial directions dated October 8, 2013.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, BKM office bearer Adv Sachin Salvi said, “We do not represent any political party. The current process makes VVPAT completely ineffective and merely ornamental in nature, raising tremendous doubts in the voters mind, doubled by recent developments of malfunctioning EVMs which are definitely not good signs for democracy..”
It should be noted that after apprehension being casted by the opposition parties on the existing counting mechanism, the Supreme Court had recently directed the ECI to increase the random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs from one booth per assembly segment to five in the Lok Sabha polls for better voter confidence and credibility of the electoral process.