NEW DELHI: Delhi state election commission has turned down demands of use of ballot papers in MCD elections while announcing dates of MCD elections.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday had doubted reliability of electronic voting machines as he sought use of ballot papers in next month's municipal polls in the national capital.
Also, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and Aam Aadmi Party Delhi chief Dilip Pandey had asked CM Kejriwal to hold MCD elections through ballot papers. Election commission said that election will be held on 22nd April through EVM machines.
Earlier, Maken had asked Kejriwal to shun EVMs in the corporation polls. "Many are doubting EVMs-Not prejudiced-nor casting aspersions on results; I want @ArvindKejriwal to hold MCD elections through Ballot Papers," he had tweeted. AAP's Jarnail Singh, who lost to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi, also demanded use of ballots in the elections ahead.
"Although we accept defeat, we have serious doubts over the results in Punjab. There are several villages in the Lambi constituency where we have received less votes than the number of volunteers we have there. "For the first time, voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) was used in Punjab. When we asked the Returning Officer to tally the number of votes to the VVPATs, he declined to do so," Singh said.