Delhi Election 2020: Sanjay Singh has alleged that voting machines were taken away illegally after polls.
Highlights
- AAP has been vocal with allegations of EVM tampering since 2017 UP polls
- Poll Body denied tampering charges, said all EVMs have been accounted for
- Exit polls predicted AAP will win clear majority and retain power
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday cited videos to back their claim that efforts are being made to tamper with the Electronic Voting Machines from the assembly elections. Senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who made the claim yesterday, tweeted a couple of videos, saying they were of voting machines being taken away illegally.
"Did the Reserve not go with EVM? People caught hold of EVM in Saraswati Vidya Niketan School of Babarpur Legislative Assembly," read the tweet with one of the videos.
The other, which showed voting machines being carried across a street, read, "The EC should also probe where these EVMs are being taken. There are no centres nearby".
But Election Commission officials in the poll body said all the EVMs used for polls have been sealed in front of the party agents and have been brought to the strong rooms directly from the polling stations.
"All EVMs that were used for the polls have been accounted for. EVMs have been stored safely with police protection in centres and party agents are also allowed to stay outside the centre if they wish," an official told NDTV.
Exit polls have predicted that AAP will win clear majority and retain power.
But since the election ended yesterday, AAP has been on its toes regarding the EVMs. Late in the evening, the party claimed that it received information that officials were trying to take away EVMs in an "unauthorised manner".
"Information has been received that officials are trying to take away EVMs at several places in an unauthorised manner. The EVMs should have been sealed and have gone straight to strongrooms. How are these machines with the officials?" AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Late in the evening, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with senior party leaders, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and election strategist Prashant Kishor - who crafted his campaign -- to discuss the safekeeping of the voting machines.
The counting of votes will be held on Tuesday.
AAP has been vocal with allegations of EVM tampering since the assembly elections of 2017, when BJP had a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh. The allegations have continued despite the Election Commission denied it and issued a challenge to opposition parties to hack into the machines. AAP did not take up the challenge.
Yesterday, while claiming his party would win the election with 48 seats, the BJP's Manoj Tiwari said other parties should not make the excuse of EVM tampering for their defeat.
"All these exit polls will fail. Please save this tweet from me. The BJP will form government in the city with 48 seats. Please do not look for excuses and blame the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)," his tweet read.