New Delhi, March 8: A parliamentary panel, comprising lawmakers from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has validated the use of electronic voting machines or EVMs during elections, Times of India reported. Interestingly, members of the TMC and BSP questioned the credibility of EVMs until as recently as 2019 Lok Sabha polls and even sought a return of ballot papers in elections. No Mismatch Between EVMs and VVPATs Reported in Lok Sabha Polls, Says BEL CMD MV Gowtama.

In its report on demands for grants for 2020-21, the department-related committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice not only praised the EVMs for eliminating bogus voters and delay in the counting process, but also recommended the use of EVMs in state and local body elections. The report, unanimously passed, was placed in Rajya Sabha on Friday. No lawmaker from any opposition party submitted dissent note. EVMs Cannot Be Tampered With, No Question of Going Back to Ballot Paper: CEC Sunil Arora.

The parliamentary panel, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bhupendra Yadav, observed that EVMs had "not only simplified the election process, but also quickened the pace of counting and ensured convenience for the voters". It backed the Election Commission's "unequivocal" view that EVMs are tamper-proof. The panel's report also praised the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT).

"Booth-capturing and casting of invalid votes have become a thing of the past with the aforesaid digital revolution," the report said. The panel also supported the EC's proposal to link Aadhaar cards with voter IDs, saying it would eliminate incidence of multiple entries in electoral rolls. "The Committee is of the view that election to local bodies should also be held through electronic voting machine accompanied by VVPAT," the panel said in its report.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2020 11:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).