'Have doubts over results': Defeated MVA candidates to seek verification of EVM-VVPAT units

Defeated candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections have decided to seek verification of the EVM-Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units in their respective constituencies, a leader from the opposition alliance said on Wednesday. Many losing candidates from the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged irregularities in the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during a meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.  

Thackeray reviewed his party's underwhelming performance at a meeting held at his residence in Mumbai. Last week, the Mahayuti coalition —comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP — returned to power with a lanslide mandate. The Mahayuti secured 230 seats, while the MVA managed to win only 46 in the 288-member assembly.  

The Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest opposition party, winning 20 seats, followed by the Congress with 16, and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP with 10. Speaking to PTI, Congress leader Arif Naseem Khan, who lost from Chandivali in Mumbai, said he discussed the issue with Thackeray and received complaints from party workers alleging EVM tampering.  

"We are getting complaints from different parts of the state expressing doubts over the results. In a democracy, complaints need to be verified, and many of us, including myself, (who faced defeat) are in the process of applying for the verification,” Khan said.  

According to a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 26 this year, the burnt memory or microcontroller in 5% of the EVMs—including the control unit, ballot unit, and VVPAT—per assembly constituency must be inspected by engineers from the EVM manufacturers after the results are announced, to rule out tampering or modification, he explained.  

Candidates who finished second or third can file a written request for verification within seven days of the results’ declaration. "A candidate making the request will have to pay Rs 41,000, which will be refunded if the machine is found to be tampered with," Khan added.  

The microcontroller, as specified by the Supreme Court, is a one-time programmable chip embedded into the EVM-Ballot Unit, Control Unit, and VVPAT at the time of manufacturing. A Sena (UBT) MLA from Mumbai also alleged discrepancies between votes cast and those counted in the EVMs. “Almost all candidates raised doubts over the EVMs,” the legislator said.  

(With inputs from PTI)