Dear Editor,
Sam Pitroda has come out with apprehension that BJP may win 400 seats in the 2024 general elections if EVMs are not “fixed”. Elections in five states are over out of which Congress could wrest Telangana from BRS. Three states went to the kitty of BJP and one state to ZPM. In May 2023, Congress won in Karnataka. There was absolutely no complaint against EVM when Congress emerged victorious in Karnataka and Telangana. Problems in EVM are discovered only when BJP wins. The Election Commission has rubbished the allegation that EVM had been rigged in favour of BJP. First to suspect over the functioning of EVM was Mayawati. Subsequently, more and more parties started to endorse the views of Mayawati. The EC is unmoved by the allegations. If Congress is really unhappy with the EVM, it should have refused to accept the 2023 victory in Karnataka and Telangana and 2018 victory in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and wherever and whenever it has emerged victorious since the EVM was introduced in place of ballot. If ballot system is brought back, many invalid votes occur. Invalid votes lose the value of the voter’s vote. If the Congress really feels that the EVM is advantageous to BJP only, it could have promised in the 2019 manifesto that the EVM would be replaced by the ballot system. When it did not promise to bring back the ballot system in the 2019 election, it is obvious that the dishonesty is manifest in its opinion against EVM. In 2019, Sam Pitroda had said “hua to hua. So, what if riots had taken place”. This was in response to the 1984 Sikh riots. Pitroda is the trusted advisor of Congress. He would do well if he advises Congress to give up the power in Karnataka and Telangana since the victory in these two states was obtained through EVM. Jairam Ramesh has no trust in Pitroda. He believes that Pitroda does not speak for party. Jai Ram Ramesh’s view has been neither endorsed nor set aside by the Congress party high command. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has echoed the view of Sam Pitroda after Congress suffered defeat in three Hindu heartlands. Both Sam Pitroda and Digvijay Singh must remember that Congress had suffered severe jolt even when the ballot system was in place. There is a saying “a bad workman always quarrels with tools”. If the Congress has suffered defeat, it is the decision of the majority of voters. Not the EVM.
K.V. Seetharamaiah