On polling day, AAP keeps up ‘faulty’ EVM attack, slams election body

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh told The Indian Express, “If former Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely had to return without voting, you can imagine what must have happened to the other voters. Our demands for fair elections with VVPAT-enabled EVMs fell on deaf ears. There were complaints from across the city that EVMs were faulty.” Lovely, however, told The Indian Express that he had “voted in East Azad Nagar at 11 am”.

‘Complaints fell on deaf ears’

Political rivals dubbed the AAP’s complaints an “excuse” ahead of “another rout”. But the party refused to back down, with Singh saying, “We feel voters have backed us and our feedback from the ground is that a large number of the AAP’s vote base had come out to vote. But that the EVMs were faulty is an undeniable truth.”

AAP Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey, who was in touch with the SEC all day, alleged that the party received “no response” from the poll panel. “There were outright violations of model code of conduct by BJP. Their volunteers were seen distributing pamphlets outside polling booths, but EC just refused to take note,” Pandey alleged. “Several voters who are vocal AAP supporters found their names missing from electoral rolls.”

AAP cabinet minister Gopal Rai tweeted: “Tough competition between EVM+BJP+Congress and AAP, every vote counts, I have already voted, you too please vote.” Senior leader Kumar Vishwas tweeted, “If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lost.”

The party also rubbished unfavourable exit polls, with Pandey saying, “First the EVMs turn out to be faulty and then the paid media announces victory for the BJP through exit polls. This is just to create an atmosphere building up to the results and to influence public opinion. Everyone can see through this. Our battle against faulty EVMs will continue.”