CHENNAI: The DMK on Wednesday justified the petition it moved in the Madras High Court against the EVM and VVPAT connectivity issue and said that the party has moved the Court owing to the failure of the Election Commission to rectify the problems in the EVMs.
Talking to media persons at the party headquarters Anna Arivalayam, DMK organizing secretary R S Bharathi and party Rajya Sabha MP N R Elango said that the input signal from the ballot unit must reach the control unit directly, but now it goes through the symbol loading unit in the VVPAT machine, which raises suspicion.
Arguing that the ballot and control units must be connected directly and a parallel connection must be established with the VVPAT, Bharathi said that it was the duty of every political party in a democracy to move such cases in the courts to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.
Citing the admission of the ECI that the EVMs have a 2% error margin, Bharathi argued that if the margin of error were to be applied in a constituency like Sriperumbudur which has 22 lakh voters, the difference would be 40,000 votes.
Recalling the 3,000 vote margin with which Thirumavalavan won the polls in Chidambaram in 2019, Bharathi said that if the ECI admits to 2% or 40,000 vote errors, it needs rectification. "We did not get an appropriate reply from the ECI. It (errors) must be rectified. Hence, we moved the High Court, " the DMK organising secretary reasoned.
Also referring to discrepancies in the vote numbers recorded in form 17 (C) and total votes polled at the time of counting, the DMK leaders questioned ECI for not rectifying it and said that the political parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari were hence doubting the EVMs.
Flagging the issue of BJP functionaries appointed in EVM manufacturing firms, Elango said that they have also sought a rectification of the same.
"The courts are passing verdicts. No one must steal the election from us. Hence, apprehensions have been raised by many, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. We moved the Court because the ECI has failed to allay the fears and rectify the problems." Bharathi said that the DMK would be appreciated in future for streamlining the election process.