Former Union Minister Sharad Pawar has raised doubts about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), alleging that they can be hacked. This is the first time that Pawar has expressed such doubts.
Pawar made these allegations while visiting senior social activist Baba Adhav in Pune. Adhav is staging a self-immolation protest against the government.
Pawar claimed that some people had given him a presentation about the possibility of hacking EVMs before the elections. However, he did not believe it at the time.
"I do not have evidence to prove whether the EVM machines were hacked. Before the elections, some people had given a presentation. They said that it was possible to hack the machines in this way. But our weakness was that we did not trust them. We did not think that the Election Commission would take such an extreme wrong stance. We did not mistrust this institution. But it seems that there is truth in this in the elections," Pawar said.
Pawar also criticized the Election Commission, stating that he did not think the institution would take an "extreme wrong stance."
India Alliance to Protest
Pawar announced that the India Alliance will protest against the alleged hacking of EVM machines. He also expressed his support for Baba Adhav's self-immolation protest.
"We will see what comes out of the recount. I doubt that anything will come out of this. The figures that are coming out in the last 2 hours of voting are shocking. Many people, including Balasaheb Thorat, have brought forward such information. They have given it with evidence. It will have to be considered," Pawar said.
Congress Executive Meets
The Congress executive met yesterday to discuss the issue. Pawar stated that there is a discussion that the India Aghadi should take up this topic.
"Now I believe it. We did not believe earlier that 15 percent of the votes were set. Now it seems that there is truth in it," Pawar said.
Flood of Power and Money
Pawar criticized the government, stating that the elections were a "misuse of power and a flood of money."
"Elections were held in this country. There is unrest in all parts of the country. The public opinion about it is being expressed through Baba's movement. Yesterday's elections were a misuse of power and a flood of money. These things had not happened before. Such complaints are heard in local-level elections. But in this election of the country, this picture of using money and power to take over all the systems was not seen. It was seen this time in Maharashtra. Due to this, the unease among the people has increased," Pawar said.
Need for a Public Uprising
Pawar emphasized the need for a public uprising against the government.
"Yesterday, I met some people outside the Parliament. They all remembered Jayaprakash Narayan. Today, someone needs to take a step. This is the tone of the discussion among the people. Baba Rijyo took the initiative. He himself is sitting in a building related to Mahatma Phule. A kind of relief has been given to the common people by Baba's fast. He took a stand as a political duty. It is not right for him to take a stand alone. There should be a public uprising on this issue. If that doesn't happen, the parliamentary democracy will be destroyed," Pawar said.
Attack on Those in Power
Pawar attacked those in power, stating that nothing has happened to them.
"When the opposition tries to raise this issue in Parliament, even though it is known that people are discussing EVMs, they are not allowed to speak. During the six-day session, the opposition is making a demand to present their views in both the houses. But not even once in six days, the demand was accepted. Not only that, the parliament was closed. During these six days, the country's issues were not allowed to be discussed. He alleged that the rulers have attacked the democratic system," Pawar said.
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