Not victory or defeat, the issue is of trust. SP chief made it clear that he is not going to give up the chase of EVM.

News India Live, Digital Desk: It has become a tradition in Indian politics that when leaders lose elections, they blame the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine), and when they win, they praise the ‘transparency’ of the same machine. But, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has now said something which seems to be breaking this old tradition.

It is often discussed that if the opposition wins, will it stop raising questions on EVMs? Akhilesh has answered this in a very interesting way in his recent conversation.

“Even if I get 80 seats, opinion will not change.”

Akhilesh Yadav has bluntly said that even if Samajwadi Party wins all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, he will not like EVMs. He says, “My mind will not agree. Even after victory, I will say that elections should be held through ballot paper only.”

This statement matters because usually leaders become silent on the issue of the machine after winning. But Akhilesh says that this issue is not about victory or defeat, but about ‘trust’.

Why don’t you trust the machine?

Akhilesh often gives examples of powerful countries of the world. His argument is very simple—”If technology king countries like America, Germany and Japan are conducting elections through ballot paper, then why are we in India stuck to machines?” He believes that there is software in the machine and there is always scope for tampering with every software.

The SP chief says that the machine is not able to create the same trust in the minds of the public that a piece of paper (ballot paper) can. When the stamp is placed and it goes in the box, the voter is assured that his vote has gone to the right place.

What is the way forward?

One thing is clear from this statement that in the coming times, whether it is assembly elections or any other election, Samajwadi Party will not let the EVM removal campaign cool down. Akhilesh Yadav has also given this message to his workers to be cautious and not rely only on the machine.

This debate is long, but Akhilesh has forced everyone to think by saying that are we really compromising with ‘trust’ in the name of technical convenience?