 "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Photo: PTI")
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday blamed the Election Commission for "EVM-tampering" and said its only aim appeared to be to bring the BJP to power.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also questioned the poll panel's decision to deploy EVMs produced before 2006, which he said had no security features, in the April 23 Delhi civic polls.
Kejriwal told the media here that although Generation II (made in 2006-13) and Generation III EVMs (made after 2013) were available in Delhi, the Election Commission had ordered Generation I EVMs produced before 2006 and with no security features to be used in the Delhi civic polls.
He alleged that what was being dismissed as "EVM malfunction" was actually a case of tampering to ensure that the Bharatiya Janata Party gets the votes of even other parties.
"The code has been changed, the programme has been changed..."
He said on Sunday 18 EVMs surfaced during the Dholpur assembly by-election in Rajasthan which voted only for the BJP no matter which button was pressed by the voters.
"Eighteen EVMs in one constituency means at least 10 per cent of the total number of machines were tampered with," Kejriwal said, adding doubts arose about the other 90 per cent machines too.
Similar tampering was also reported during a mock drill of EVM in Bhind in Madhya Pradesh when the voter slips showed the vote in favour of the BJP no matter which button was pressed.
"The Election Commission is not ready to probe the issue of EVM tampering despite all the evidence... This raises suspicion if the tampering is being done on its directions," Kejriwal said.
He said the machines were not malfunctioning as claimed by the poll panel.
"If there was some defect, then some machines would have voted for the Congress, some for the AAP and some for the BJP. But why are all defective machines voting only for the BJP?
"It means ... the software of these machines have been tampered with or has been completely changed."
Kejriwal demanded to know why elections were being held at all and said the Election Commission should simply declare the BJP the winner.
"Now the Election Commission is no more interested in conducting elections in a free and fair manner. It seems their only objective is to bring the BJP in power at any cost."
The Chief Minister said all the EVMs for the Delhi municipal polls were being brought from Rajasthan though a large number of EVMs were available in the capital.
"All the EVMs in Rajasthan are manipulated. That is why they want those machines."
Kejriwal had earlier demanded the use of paper ballot in Delhi's civic polls to ensure transparency - even if the election needed to be postponed because of this.
