UP: SP demands webcasting of all polling stations in Milkipur by-polls, sharing of link with candidates, parties

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 8 (ANI): Samajwadi Party submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, demanding webcasting of all 414 polling stations in the Milkipur assembly by-poll scheduled on February 5.
The party has requested that the webcasting link be shared with the candidates and recognized political parties, enabling them to monitor the voting process and ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.
UP Samajwadi Party President Shyam Lal Pal sent a memorandum to the state Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday.
Notably, on several occasions, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has underlined his 'distrust' with the Electronic Voting Machines.
In December last year, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also called for elections to be held using ballot papers if people have doubts about the process and suggested that the Election Commissioner should also be elected by the people.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, on Tuesday, dismissed refuted all claims of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), asserting that the Supreme Court has vouched for the reliability of these devices.
"There is no evidence of unreliability or any drawback in the EVM... There is no question of introducing a virus or bug in the EVM. There is no question of invalid votes in the EVM. No rigging is possible. High Courts and the Supreme Court are continuously saying this in different judgments... What else can be said? EVMs are foolproof devices for counting. Allegations of tempering are baseless. We are speaking now because we don't speak when elections are on," Kumar said in a press conference.
He also dismissed the suggestion of returning to paper ballots for voting saying, "Return to the outdated paper ballots system is unwarranted and regressive. This is aimed at derailing the election process."
CEC Kumar also refuted charges of voter deletion saying that all the claims and objections that come up - are shared with all the political parties.
"Indian voters are extremely aware... Stories are going around regarding electoral rolls, even now. Almost 70 steps are there...in which political parties and candidates remain with us. All the claims and objections that come up - are shared with all the political parties. No deletion can be done without Form 7," he said. (ANI)