MCD polls: Delhi LG Baijal rejects CM Kejriwal's demand for paper ballot instead of EVMs, says change not feasible

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand for paper ballot instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Municipal Corporation elections which are scheduled in April this year.

”The CM’s demand to use ballot paper in place of EVMs are not feasible due to time constraint,” said Baijal on Thursday.

Earlier, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had directed state chief secretary MM Kutty to write to the state election commission, asking it to hold the upcoming municipal elections through ballot papers.

The direction came hours before the poll panel announced municipal elections on April 22.

Earlier on the day Election Commission also strongly rejected the EVM tempering charges by the political parties and said the devices are 100% credible.

Losing parties should not blame their loss on the EVMs, several former Chief Election Commissioners also said after questions were raised by some politicians about the reliability of the voting machine.

Former CECs M S Gill, V S Sampath and H S Brahma said that the machines are “reliable and tamper-proof” and political parties should not question its reliability if they lose elections.