Lucknow, January 22: The EVM "hackathon" event held in London by cyber expert Syed Shuja has sparked an uproar across the political circles in India. The clamour has grown within the Opposition camp seeking the next parliamentary polls to be held using the ballot papers. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said the faith of the electorate could only remain intact if the electronic voting machines are not used in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Mayawati said her party is not raising its voice against the EVM as part of the political rhetoric, but to ensure that the faith of the common person is not lost in the electoral system. London EVM Hackathon a Congress Ploy to Defame India, Syed Shuja Their 'Freelancer': Union Minister MA Naqvi.

"Keeping the larger interest of democracy in view, it is essential to look into the EVM matter so that it gets resolved soon. It’s possible to validate ballot paper but it’s not the case with the EVM. We demand EC to hold 2019 general election using ballot paper, taking this into cognizance,” Mayawati was quoted as saying by by news agency ANI.

Mayawati's views were supported by her Uttar Pradesh ally and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav -- who has demanded the Election Commission to take immediate measures to maintain one's trust in democracy.

"If someone has raised a question then it must be thought that what is the reason that a developed country like Japan is not using EVMs. It is not a question of a political party, it’s a question of trust in democracy," he said.

The debate surrounding the credibility of EVMs was rekindled last night, after Syed Shuja demonstrated before a gathering how the voting machines used by Election Commission of India "could be hacked".

The cyber expert claimed that he has evidence which "proves that the 2014 general elections were rigged" in favour of the BJP. Results in 201 of the 282 constituencies were manipulated by tampering with the EVMs, he alleged.

Shuja made another sensational charge, claiming that senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde was murdered in June 2014 as he was "about to expose the party" for allegedly rigging the Lok Sabha polls. According to the official records, Munde - the Union Minister for Rural Development at the time of his demise - was killed in a road accident.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2019 04:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).