Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: A day after the Haryana election result, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday expressed doubts over the functioning of EVMs. He likened the Haryana election result to that of the Andhra Pradesh assembly election, in which he faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the TDP-Jana Sena and the BJP combined.
Jagan also pitched for a return to paper ballots. Immediately after the election results in June, Jagan had just fallen short of saying there were faulty EVMs.
“Yet another election result confounds popular perception. The Haryana election result is no different from Andhra Pradesh, on which cases are pending in courts. In a democracy like ours, democracy should not only be prevalent but also be seen to be thriving. The only way to ensure both is to go back to paper ballots."
"When a large majority of developed countries, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, France, Japan, Norway, and Denmark, are using paper ballots, it is time we make changes with the rest of the world and move towards paper ballots, which in turn would enhance the confidence of the electorate. The lawmakers should come forward to instill confidence," said Jagan on Wednesday on X.
Days after the Andhra Pradesh election results on June 18, Jagan joined the chorus to shun EVMs and get back to paper ballots. Immediately following his crushing defeat at the hands of the TDP on the day of results, on June 4, Jagan expressed his inability to understand why he lost, despite having spent a substantial amount on welfare schemes. On that day, Jagan narrowly avoided blaming the EVMs. However, he swiftly demanded paper ballots on June 18. In the historic win, the TDP-led NDA alliance bagged 164 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha seats in the polls held four months ago.
Jagan's top aide and YSRCP's parliamentary party leader, V Vijaysai Reddy, too echoed similar sentiments and accused the TDP of tampering with EVMs to win elections.