Akhilesh terms EVMs threat to democracy, bats for ballot papers
Lucknow, May 29: Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday questioned the fairness of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), terming them the "biggest threat to democracy".
Addressing the media here, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister referred to the snags in EVMs in the Kairana parliamentary and Noorpur assembly bypolls on Monday and said that after this, people were in no mood to trust the machines.
Reiterating his demand of use of ballot papers in all future elections, Akhilesh Yadav also demanded a repoll in every place where EVMs were used for voting in the Monday's bypoll. He also exhorted all political parties to come together and raise a united voice against the EVMs and seek all future voting through the traditional mechanism of ballot papers.
Akhilesh Yadav also expressed suspicion that the EVMs were tampered and manipulated under a "nefarious design" to defeat opposition candidates.
Slamming the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, he claimed that people were feeling cheated at their "hollow promises". Their work so far in one year has been dismaying, the SP chief said while pointing out several issues like pending arrears of cane growers and farmer distress.
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Fan tries to die by suicide over Nikhil Kumaraswamy's bypoll loss
Bengaluru: Channapatna JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who lost the byelection to C.P. Yogeshwar of Congress, on Sunday consoled a fan who reportedly attempted to end his life and requested him not to repeat such acts.
Manjunath, fondly called Abhi, had even penned a letter before taking the dangerous step. Nikhil, who called on Manjunath at the latter’s home in Kudloor in Channapatna, expressed shock and sadness over the incident.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy reassured Manjunath, expressing his support during the difficult time. He told him that he was deeply troubled to learn of this incident and emphasised that he would stand by him. Nikhil also promised to offer assistance in any way he could, including helping him secure employment opportunities in the future, as reported by the Deccan Herald.
He also reminded Manjunath of the importance of his children’s well-being, urging him to focus on their future. “Please, look at the faces of your growing children. Even I have a three-year-old son. The children are young, let us take care of their future also. I will arrange some job opportunities for you. I might not be an MLA but this is a challenge. I will get you employed,” he said.
Nikhil told media persons that he is extremely hurt more by Manjunath’s attempt to die than by his loss in the election. “At 7:30 a.m., we got a message that in Valetoopu, Manjunath had consumed poison yesterday. In Channapatna, our workers and leaders have built this party with zeal. Let the admiration be there in your hearts but if it crosses the line, your families get hurt and we get very pained by it,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.
Speaking of his byelection loss, Nikhil reiterated that the JD(S) had got its traditional votes, but that the votes of a particular community went against the party.
“Deve Gowda gave reservation to a community. We tried our last attempt to take that community into confidence. But they conveyed to us that they do not require us. In future, we will take other communities into confidence,” he remarked in a veiled reference to Muslims.
Nikhil lost the election by a margin of 25,413 votes to Congress candidate C.P. Yogeshwar.
