Abhishek Banerjee said making random allegations about EVMs won't work
Close on the heels of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah trashing the Congress-led charge against Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), another key Opposition party has dismissed the questions surrounding the machines.
Trinamool Congress MP and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has said those who doubt EVMs must demonstrate how they can be hacked. "The people who raise questions on EVM, if they have anything, they should go and show a demo to the Election Commission. If work is done properly at the time of EVM randomisation and people properly work at the booths during mock polls and counting, I don't think there is any substance in this allegation," he said.
"If still someone feels that EVMs can be hacked, then they should meet the Election Commission and show how EVMs can be hacked... Nothing can be done by just making random statements...," said Mr Banerjee, Number 2 in Trinamool after party chief Mamata Banerjee.
Union Minister Satish Chandra Dubey said the Trinamool leader has understood the truth, though late. "Two elections happened recently -- in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand. The party that won in Jammu and Kashmir is part of the INDIA alliance, and no questions were raised regarding EVMs then. In Jharkhand, the INDIA alliance won, and there were no allegations. An alliance cannot sustain itself for long based on a lie. Abhishek Banerjee may have realised this late, but at least he has understood the truth now," the BJP leader said.
The Congress and several other Opposition parties raised questions about EVMs after the results of the Haryana and Maharashtra polls. The BJP hit back, citing the results of Jharkhand polls and saying that the Opposition raises the EVM issue only when it loses elections.
But some Congress allies have trashed the offensive against EVMs. National Conference leader and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said one must be "consistent" in questioning the voting method.
"When you get a hundred plus members of Parliament using the same EVMs, and you celebrate that as sort of a victory for your party, you can't then a few months later turn around and say... we don't like these EVMs because now the election results aren't going the way we would like them to," Mr Abdullah said. "If you have problems with the EVMs, then you should be consistent in those problems," he said, adding that parties should not contest polls if they do not trust the voting method.
Citing his example of losing in the Lok Sabha election and scoring a big win in the Assembly polls months later, he said, "One day voters choose you, the next day they don't. I never blamed the machines."
Congress MP B Manickam Tagore responded why Mr Abdullah was taking this approach towards Congress's partners after becoming Chief Minister. "It's the Samajwadi Party, NCP, and Shiv Sena UBT that have spoken against EVMs. Please check your facts, CM @OmarAbdullah. The Congress CWC resolution clearly addresses the ECI only. Why this approach to our partners after being CM?" he asked in a post on X.
Union Minister Satish Chandra Dubey said the Trinamool leader has understood the truth, though late. "Two elections happened recently -- in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand. The party that won in Jammu and Kashmir is part of the INDIA alliance, and no questions were raised regarding EVMs then. In Jharkhand, the INDIA alliance won, and there were no allegations. An alliance cannot sustain itself for long based on a lie. Abhishek Banerjee may have realised this late, but at least he has understood the truth now," the BJP leader said.
The Trinamool leader's remarks also come against the backdrop of the leadership tussle within the INDIA alliance after Mamata Banerjee said she is open to leading the Opposition bloc if given the opportunity. Shortly after her remarks, veteran Opposition leaders Sharad Pawar and Lalu Prasad Yadav threw their weight behind her.