‘When you win, EVMs are fine but when you lose, they’re tampered’: BJP allies to Oppn

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Key BJP allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday accused the opposition of "double standards" on the issue of Electronic Voting Machines, arguing that allegations of EVM tampering are raised by them only after their electoral defeats.

Participating in a discussion on 'Election Reforms' in the Lok Sabha during which opposition members questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission (EC), slammed SIR and demanded a return to paper ballot, the members of the ruling NDA said the opposition should propose constructive reforms instead of trying to deligitimise the electoral system by attacking the EC.

Indian voters were "mature" and understood the democratic process, TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said. “No one in the opposition asked about 'vote chori 'when the Congress won in Telangana or Karnataka, but these questions only arise when results do not go their way,” he said, dismissing claims that EVMs were manipulated.

The TDP MP said that instead of pushing for constructive reforms, the opposition was questioning the Election Commission.

Intervening in the debate, Union Minister and JD(U) MP Rajeev Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) also said that the opposition parties question EVMs only when they are defeated in elections.

“You won in Bengal, Himachal and Karnataka, then the EVMs were correct. But in Maharashtra, Haryana or Bihar, the machines suddenly became faulty? People do not accept this double standard,” he said.

He accused the opposition of trying to "pollute the electoral system” instead of engaging with the EC's repeated clarifications. “If people are not voting for you repeatedly, then the EVM becomes faulty,” he said.

Devarayalu suggested that if Aadhaar cannot be linked with voter IDs, the government could explore unique biometric markers such as iris scans or thumb impressions to make voter identification foolproof.

He proposed targeted re-enrolment drives for migrant workers, tribals and the elderly, and called for continuous, year-round capacity-building for BLOs and EROs.

“Capacity building happens only six months before elections. It must happen annually,” he said, urging the Election Commission to publish district-wise voter addition and deletion data so all political parties “can see whose names were removed”.

Singh accused the opposition of attempting to “delegitimise the electoral system” instead of suggesting improvements.

“We were hoping the opposition would tell us what improvements can be made,” he said, but added that Congress MP Manish Tewari instead "insinuated that the Election Commission is influenced".

"Modi ji never interferes in the work of independent institutions,” Singh said.

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Singh noted that the Election Commission had clarified that it is conducted regularly. When the process began recently, he said, “In two districts, over five lakh people applied for citizenship, and many others were marked for deletion, so what is the issue if the Election Commission asks for proof?” In a swipe at the opposition over its electoral loss in Bihar, he said, “Take free tips from Prime Minister Modi… go meet him alone and come back with the tips.” PTI UZM RT