PANAJI
Supreme Court lawyer and national co-ordinator Mehmood Pracha of the ‘Save the Constitution Campaign’ which is spearheading the movement against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections and return back to ballot papers has underscored the need for public support especially the political parties.
Mehmood Pracha who arrived in Goa addressed a press conference in the capital city where he said every political party had opposed EVMs at one point or the other.
He was speaking at a press conference held in Panaji on Saturday. Savio Coutinho, John Nazareth, Jacques Mascarenhas, Dipesh Naik and others were present on this occasion.
“When we started this movement, we realised that most people in the country do not want to vote through electronic voting machines. All political parties in the country have opposed electronic voting machines at one time or another. The BJP also opposed it between 2009 and 2013,” he said.
Pracha said, the Congress which is currently the principal Opposition party must oppose it but is only orally supporting it and staying aloof from the actual agitation.
Pracha alleged that several political parties in the Opposition have trojan horses in their ranks who are prevailing upon their leadership not to oppose EVMs.
“Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had said that he would hold a nationwide agitation for voting through ballot papers in November 2024. But the party and planted leaders opposed it. So the party has not yet made any move in that direction,” Pracha said, adding however that his organisation will continue the agitation with or without support from the political mainstream.
Pracha said the petition filed by them before the Supreme Court was dismissed but various other legal suits are pending before lower courts in various States.
He also alleged that at the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections electronic voting machines related irregularities has taken place in almost 100 seats and added that petitions regarding EVM counting irregularities in 90 Lok Sabha seats and 20 Assembly seats in the Haryana Assembly elections have also been filed.
