Uttar Pradesh: BJP tampered with EVMs in 250 seats of 403, says Mayawati

BSP Chief Mayawati.

Stepping up allegations of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by the Bharatiya Janata Party during Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday said the party tampered with the machines in at least 250 seats out of 403. “BJP did tampering in EVMs on 250 seats out of 403, in the seats where it was in very weak position,” she said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said she’s ready to join hands with non-BJP parties in fighting against EVM tampering in the state. “BSP has no reservation in taking help of anti-BJP parties in fight against EVM tampering and BJP to keep democracy alive,” she said.

After the results of assembly elections in the state saw BJP winning by a huge margin, BSP raised the issue of EVM tampering in the state and demanded that an investigation be conducted regarding the usage of voting machines. The party withdrew its plea from the Supreme Court for setting aside all recent assembly polls where EVMs were used in the state without paper trails, after which the apex court issued notices to the Central government and the Election Commission (EC) on a PIL filed by BSP claiming that machines can be hacked and tampered with.

Mayawati, addressing BSP’s first programme after party’s poor showing in assembly elections, also announced her brother Anand Kumar as party’s vice-President. “I announce my brother Anand Kumar as the party’s national vice president with the condition that he will never become MP, MLA, minister of chief minister,” she said.