NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik made the comment after the Supreme Court dismissed the plea of 21 opposition parties seeking a review of its April 8 order directing the EC to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per Assembly segment
New Delhi: Nawab Malik, the national spokesperson of NCP, on Tuesday, said that the Election Commission is being “swayed” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The NCP is trying to ensure people repose faith in the democracy. But the Election Commission is being swayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Malik said.
NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik made the comment after the Supreme Court dismissed the plea of 21 opposition parties seeking a review of its April 8 order directing the EC to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per Assembly segment.
Also read: Opposition parties seek review of VVPAT slips matching order: See what SC said
Malik alleged that the EC did not find a way out despite there being a possibility of votes polled through the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips not tallying.
The NCP leader also expressed the possibility of rigging on the day poll results would be announced (May 23) due to the same reason.
Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for petitioners, told the bench that the apex court had increased the random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment and they are now seeking that it should be increased to 25% at least.
"It will be for the satisfaction of confidence-building measures," Singhvi told the bench also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.
Singhvi said the present increase of random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment amounted to a meagre two per cent and petitioners are seeking that it be raised to 25 per cent at least.
With inputs from PTI
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