Mock Away, Won't End Campaign Against EVMs (Vote Machines): Team Kejriwal

New Delhi: The campaign against the Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs will continue, no matter what anyone says, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party declared today in face of BJP jibes. The ruling party of Delhi, which made its debut in the civic elections two years after its massive sweep in Assembly polls, came a poor second.

As the trends made the extent of its losses clear, Chief Minister Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia said, "EVM tampering is the bitter truth of the country's democracy. One can crack jokes on us initially, but fearing being made fun of, we cannot refrain from speaking the truth".

Following a huddle Mr Kejriwal's residence, the party blamed the loss on what it called an "EVM wave" -- an allegation levelled by some parties in the aftermath of the recent round of assembly elections. Delhi minister and senior party leader Gopal Rai said, "This isn't a Modi wave, this is an EVM wave. The same happened in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand".

A number of BJP leaders reacted with derision. "If they stay in the same mode (of blaming EVMs) no one can save them," said Vijay Goel. "If there was EVM tampering, it would have happened in Punjab too," pointed out Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Party chief Amit Shah weighed in, saying Mr Kejriwal won the 2015 assembly elections on the same EVMs. The UPA 1 and UPA 2 also came to power on those very machines. "If EVMs are faulty, how did they manage to win? I think everyone should respectfully accept the electorate's decision," he said.

But AAP refused to back down. "I want to ask GVL (Narasimha Rao) why he has written a book on EVMs and said we should adopt ballot boxes," retorted party leader Ashutosh. Earlier today, BJP spokesperson Mr Rao had coined a new definition of AAP, tweeting it was "Absolute Arrogance Personified".

Mr Sisodia questioned how the BJP, which "brought an entire research paper, books on EVM tampering" can say EVMs cannot be tampered.