TDP does U-turn on EVMs, from ‘not tamper proof’ to ‘proven can’t be manipulated’, calls it ‘evolution’

Following the rout of his party, which was then not a part of the NDA, in the 2019 Andhra Assembly polls, Chandrababu Naidu had claimed EVMs are not “tamper proof” and also accused the EC of “faltering”

Five years ago, after the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) reduced his party to 23 seats in the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had voiced concerns over the functioning of EVMs on social media.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is more than 6,000 times wealthier than West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. (File Photo)

As the debate over the veracity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) rages on following the Mahayuti’s emphatic victory in Maharashtra, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which after its 2019 rout in Andhra Pradesh had claimed that EVMs are “not tamper proof”, has taken a U-turn on the issue and now claims “it has been proven without doubt that the machines are tamper proof”.

“The Election Commission (EC) has successfully proved that the EVMs cannot be tampered with and our party is in support of voting through EVMs,” TDP national spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari told The Indian Express, a day after the Supreme Court rejected a plea that sought a shift back to voting through ballot papers.

Five years ago, after the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) reduced his party to 23 seats in the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had voiced concerns over the functioning of EVMs on social media. “EVMs pose a big risk in a democracy as they are susceptible to manipulation. No developed or technology-driven country would use EVMs for voting,” he had said in a post on X (then Twitter).

Naidu had also accused the EC of faltering during the 2019 polls. “It was an infringement of citizens’ voting rights in the recent Andhra Pradesh polls due to a colossal failure of the election machinery,” he had said.

Another TDP leader, requesting anonymity, said several Opposition parties, including the Congress, had raised doubts over EVMs in 2019. “The TDP was in alliance with the Congress then. We lost the polls and were sure that the YSRCP had indulged in malpractices to win the elections and hence questioned the EVMs,” the leader said and argued that the party’s stand on the issue had “not changed but only evolved with time”.

The TDP, which was then not a part of the NDA, was also one among the 21 Opposition parties which had approached the apex court in March 2019 with a demand that 50% Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips be counted with the votes recorded in the EVMs.

The Opposition parties – the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), NCP (then undivided), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Left parties – along with the TDP, in their plea had urged the top court to ensure EVMs are tamper proof and claimed the only way to ensure it was by manually counting VVPAT slips. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition in May 2019.

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On the other hand, a TDP insider drew parallels with his party’s stance and BJP veteran L K Advani, who had questioned EVMs following the Congress victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. “While he (Advani) had earlier questioned EVMs, the BJP now supports their use. Similarly, the TDP raised the issue in the past and now supports it,” the source said.

The senior TDP leadership remained unavailable for comment while Andhra IT Minister, Nara Loksh declined to comment on the issue.