Sanctity has to be maintained: SC directs ECI to probe 'BJP extra vote' in Kerela mock polls

The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to investigate allegations of EVM irregularities in Kerala's Kasaragod, raised by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan, representing the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, referred to a report claiming that four EVMs recorded extra votes for the BJP during a mock election.

According to a report by Manorama Online, agents from different political fronts asserted that four EVMs in Kasaragod added additional votes in favor of the BJP. Responding to this, Justice Sanjiv Khanna instructed the EC's lawyer to verify the matter.

Opposition parties have frequently raised concerns about EVM tampering and advocated for the return to ballot paper voting. The top court, hearing pleas for comprehensive cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT, addressed the issue during the proceedings.

"This is a humongous task. No European country can do this. You talked about Germany but what is the population there. My home state West Bengal is far more populous than Germany. We have to repose faith and trust in the electoral process. Don't try to bring down the system like this," Justice Datta told advocate Bhushan.