Opposition parties complain to EC against BJP on EVM glitch

New Delhi: Opposition parties on Saturday approached the Election Commission alleging display of party name only under the BJP symbol on EVMs during a mock poll in West Bengal's Barrackpore constituency, but the poll panel has maintained that the same insignia was used for the party in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

A delegation of opposition parties comprising senior Congress leaders Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Ahmed Patel and Trinamool Congress's Dinesh Trivedi and Derek O'Brien met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora over the issue and demanded that either all such EVMs be removed from the remaining phases of election or names of other parties be added too.

The EVMs display the party symbols, name of the candidates and their photographs.

"On EVMs, letters 'BJP' are visible under the party's symbol. No other party's name is there.

Either remove all machines which mention BJP clearly, or all other parties' name should be added in all such machines. Till then the use of these machines has to be totally stopped in the election," Singhvi told the reporters after meeting the CEC.

Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, who is also a sitting MP from Barrackpore, said this was a "clear fraud on the people" and an attempt to "hack the EVMs".

He also showed purported photographs of the EVM, where the party symbol of Lotus included the words BJP.