Concern raised by Mayawati should be looked into: Lalu Yadav on EVM controversy

IMAGE: ANI

Patna: Supporting the allegation put forth by Bahujan Samaj party(BSP) chief Mayawati in connection to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) being tampered, Rasthriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday said that her concern should be properly looked into. "The concern raised by Mayawati should be heard by the nation. How can so much difference be coming from the committed vote bank of BSP and SP? The EVM is giving vote to BJP irrespective of the selection" he said. Further calling on the Election Commission to not disregard Mayawati's complaint, Lalu added that neglecting this matter could have grave consequences. "We demand a probe into the matter. We have to be alert from next time onward. The Election Commission needs to look into the matter seriously, otherwise it would erase the meaning of democracy," he said. Mayawati on Saturday put the onus on the EVMs for her loss in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying the machine accepted votes only in favour of the BJP. "The shocking result of the assembly elections indicates that the EVMs accepted votes only in favour of the BJP," Mayawati told a press briefing. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that the incident of manipulation of the EVM machines had been raised earlier also but no one paid attention to it. "After the results in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, all opposition parties should think about it more seriously," Mayawati said. "Most votes in Muslim majority constituencies have gone to the BJP, which makes it evident that the voting machines were manipulated. How can it be possible that even after not nominating a single Muslim candidate from Muslim dominant region, the BJP won that seat?" she asked. However, the Election Commission has asserted that there is "no merit" to the BSP's complaints over the EVM possibly being tampered with. "The safeguards are implemented transparently with the involvement of political parties, candidates and their representatives at every stage to build their confidence on efficacy and reliability of EVMs. The prescribed administrative process has been fully complied with in UP and Uttarakhand," the EC wrote in a letter to BSP's national general secretary Satish Misra.