Days after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati raised questions over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) following her party's dismal show in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed the Election Commission to use the ballot paper system in soon to be held civic election.

Kejriwal has written to Chief Secretary asking to direct the state Election Commission to use paper ballots instead of the EVMs in the MCD election.

CONGRESS ADVISES KEJRIWAL TO GO FOR BALLOT SYSTEM

Kejriwal's letter comes shortly after the Congress advised the Delhi CM not to use EVMs in MCD election. "Not prejudiced-nor casting aspersions on results, I want Arvind Kejriwal to hold MCD elections through Ballot papers," Congress leader Ajay Maken had said on Monday.

Elections for the three municipal corporations in Delhi are due in April.

ELECTION COMMISSION RUBBISHES MAYAWATI'S CLAIMS

The Election Commission (EC) had earlier refuted the allegations of tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), as levelled by BSP supremo Mayawati.

The EC said that the EVMs could not be tampered with and that candidates are allowed to randomly check the machines before the actual voting.

"The machine is both mechanically and electronically protected to prevent any tampering/manipulation. The programme used in these machines is burnt into a one time programmable chip so that it cannot be altered or tampered with," the EC said in its reply to Mayawati.

"These machines are not networked either by wire or by wireless to any other machine or system. Therefore, there is no possibility of its data corruption," it added.

Mayawati had alleged that the EVMs used in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly elections had been tampered with in a way that every vote goes to the BJP.

In a letter to the EC, Mayawati asked the poll panel to hold the results of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkahand assembly elections and do re-polling using paper ballots.

Even former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that if a political party is levelling such serious allegations, the EC should look into it.

(With inputs from IANS)

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