Opposition parties to meet EC demanding return to ballot papers in 2019 elections
03 Aug 2018
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Seventeen opposition parties have decided to meet the Election Commission (EC) in pursuit of their demand for a return to ballot papers during the 2019 general elections.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has initiated the latest drive against electronic voting machines (EVMs), a month after the Congress raised the issue.
Derek O’Brien of the TMC said that all opposition parties have agreed on the move to demand the use of ballot papers for next year’s elections and will be meeting the EC next week.
Banerjee, who was in Delhi recently, met opposition leaders and urged them to meet the EC about the tampering of EVMs and the return to ballot papers.
Interestingly, the BJP had a few months earlier said it was ready to revert to the use of ballot papers if there was a consensus among all parties. A BJP spokesman pointed out that the decision to introduce EVMs was taken because of a political consensus.
The TMC has been protesting outside Parliament calling for the return of ballot boxes. Banerjee has also urged the Shiv Sena – the BJP ally is also opposed to EVMs – to be part of the delegation that meets EC officials.
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