Paper-trail and NOTA must for future elections TS: Dr Dasoju

Telangana Congress today urged the state election commission to arrange printers to the EVMs and NOTA (none of the above) option in the upcoming Warangal and Khammam Municipal Corporation elections as many voters had doubts if their vote had gone to the candidate they wanted to vote.

Writing a letter to the chief of state election commission, Congress chief spokesperson Dr Sravan Dasoju said if the election commission goes ahead with conduct of elections without printers, the elections to these urban bodes would not be free and fair and it amounts to the gross violation of Supreme Court verdict.

He expressed displeasure the state election commissioner V Nagireddy had not given time to the Congress delegation which wanted to submit the memorandum on this issue. Addressing media at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday T-Congress chief spokesperson said Supreme Court, in Subramanya Swamy Vs Chief Election Commissioner of India (2013), clearly said paper trail ie arranging printer to the EVM, was an indispensable requirement of free and fair elections. He quoted the portion of the judgment : ” The confidence of the voters in the EVM can be achieved only with introduction of the ”paper trail. EVMs with VVVPAT system can ensure the accuracy of the voting system.”
Dasoju further said the gross violation of law laid down by the Supreme Court as well as the provisions of Conduct of Elections (Amendment) Rules, 2013 could not be allowed further as it had happened in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Election this month.

He also requested the Telangana state election commissioner to restore the citizen’s right to exercise’ NOTA” in the forthcoming Warangal and Khammam municipal corporation elections.

Referring to the absence of NOTA in the recently concluded GHMC elections, he expressed apprehension that the NOTA had been removed at the behest TRS government. He said it was unfortunate that SEC had removed the NOTA despite representations from the Congress party and members of civil society in favor of the facility. He attributed the percentage of polling to the lack of NOTA and unwillingness of the people to cast their vote in the absence of NOTA.