Mulayam's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav calls for ballot paper elections

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Apr. 2 (ANI): Even as the call for probe on 'faulty' Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is growing louder among political parties post the assembly polls, Samajwadi Party leader and Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav joined the chorus on Sunday asking to either declare the recently-concluded election results as null and void or conduct future elections on ballot paper. "If the allegations against EVM machines are proved, then the elections must immediately be dismissed. If not, then the elections must be held on ballot paper, provided a plea on this regard is heard in the Supreme Court," Aparna told ANI. Politicians have openly alleged tampering of EVMs in the recently concluded assembly elections with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal leading the charge. Earlier, the AAP had approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) over EVM tampering in Punjab Assembly Elections and alleged that there is clear and irrefutable evidence of manipulation of results at polling booths. The Congress also expressed its reservations to the poll panel stating that there is an extraordinary suspicion about the fairness of the EVM machines post recently conducted elections- specially Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, adding that apparently the polling in these states did not "reflect the public mood and confidence as noticed by national parties." However, the Election Commission, in a strongly-worded reply to the AAP's allegations advised the party to introspect about its "unsatisfactory poll performance" in the assembly elections rather than attributing it to the alleged failure of the EVMs. The letter further said that the Supreme Court had never cast any aspersion or expressed any doubt that election process was interdicted/rigged by use of EVMs. Hence, the Commission "strongly objects to this wrong and imaginary extrapolation of Hon'ble Supreme Court's order. This may please be noted as a responsible political party." (ANI)