Kasganj, April 26: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that the fight for the removal of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), currently used in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, is a 'long' one.

Yadav, who recently announced his candidature from the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, also said that though everyone will accept the SC's judgment on EVMs, the fight against the polling machine will not stop. "There is a long fight ahead on VVPAT, EVM, and ballot paper. Whatever decision the Supreme Court takes, everybody will accept that, but the fight won't stop. The fight will go on," the SP chief said while speaking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj. EVM-VVPAT Cross-Verification of Votes: Supreme Court Dismisses Pleas Seeking Mandatory EVM-VVPAT Tally.

His remarks came after the Supreme Court rejected all the petitions seeking the complete verification of votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) machines with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips on Friday. Citing the example of Germany, the SP Chief said that several countries across the world do not trust EVMs and consider their usage in elections "unconstitutional."

"This fight is essential because there are several countries in the world that consider voting through EVMs unconstitutional. Germany, which is a strong nation and far ahead of us, considers voting through EVMs unconstitutional. The fight will go on," Yadav said. Several developed countries in the world like Germany, the Netherlands, and the US have banned the use of EVMs. EVM-VVPAT Verification: Supreme Court Rejects Pleas for Mandatory Cross-Verification of Votes Cast Using EVMs With VVPAT Slips.

Akhilesh Yadav further asked people to vote for the opposition INDIA bloc and the Samajwadi Party so that they can form the government at the Centre and do away with EVMs. "Since two phases of elections are already over and we are in the third phase, I would like to say that you should make INDIA bloc and Samajwadi Party win, form the government, and remove EVM," Yadav said.

Akhilesh Yadav on SC Order:

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is contesting on 17 seats, and the Samajwadi Party has the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged triumphant, securing 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, supplemented by two seats clinched by its ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati's BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav's SP garnered five. Conversely, the Congress party secured only one seat.