AGP appeals to EC to use VVPT in Assam

NEW DELHI, February 24: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Monday appealed to the Election Commission (EC) to introduce the Voter Verifiable Paper Trail (VVPT) in Assam instead of common EVM in the coming general elections.

A VVPT system includes a printed ballot as a receipt that a voter gets after casting votes.

“We have found that the EVMs are not full–proof. There is every possibility that the ruling party may temper the EVMs…so we have demanded that the elections in Assam should be based on VVPT system,” said AGP working president Atul Bora.

Bora on Monday led–a six member delegation to election commissioner (EC) HS Brahma to press for their demand.

They have also submitted a memorandum to the EC in support of their demand.

Bora alleged that the ruling Congress had manipulated the EVM machines in the last Assembly elections in Assam.

“In the parliamentary elections to be held in April–May this year, the VVPT system should be applied in Assam,” the AGP told the EC in its memorandum. The VVPT system was first introduced in Mizoram in the 2013 Assembly elections. The other members in the delegation include Birendra Prasad Baishya, Kumar Deepak Das, Phani Bhusan Choudhary, Keshab Mahanta, Pradip Hazarika and Durga Das Bodo.

(Source)The Sentinel — The Largest Media group of North-East India — focused on news publishing. Combined circulation of the group is over 120,000 newspapers per day, making it the largest newspaper group in the region. The Sentinel is the only English daily in the Northeast India with five editions published simultaneously from Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Shillong, Silchar and Itanagar. For all local, national and international news please visit http://www.sentinelassam.com/