Oppose EVMs: Akhilesh to parties

LUCKNOW: A day after large-scale malfunctioning of EVMs was alleged in Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly by-polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday called upon all opposition parties to unite against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections.

“The SP has been demanding ballot-paper voting as the party and the people do not have faith in EVMs. Earlier, we had called an all-party meeting against the EVMs. The Congress did not attend it but now it is also raising voice against EVMs. We appeal to the Congress and all other parties to unite against EVMs,” Akhilesh said while addressing a press conference at the state headquarters of the party here on Tuesday.

“Voting through EVMs is a threat to democracy. The glitches and technical snags that occurred yesterday (on Monday in Kairana and Noorpur by-polls) were a part of a strategy as EVMs failed in those places where the SP, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and alliance parties have a strong support base,” he said.

Akhilesh, however, said the alliance would win both the seats as the people had voted against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“BJP did not fulfil any of its poll promises. Its loan waiver was a huge disappointment and betrayal to farmers. Even on the cane dues, the BJP government has let down the farmers. It tells the people how much cane payments the government has made but stays silent on the amount of massive cane arrears,” he added.

Questioning the inauguration of Meerut-Delhi expressway shortly before the by-polls, Akhilesh said: “Though the Supreme Court had asked the government to do it fast but Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it a roadshow and chief minister Yogi too joined it.” Need time to vacate government bungalow

When asked if he and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, who too is a former UP CM, would vacate government houses following Supreme Court directives, Akhilesh said: “We are willing to vacate it but as of now, neither Netaji (Mulayam) nor I have a house in Lucknow. We, in our review petitions, have sought some time to vacate the houses.”