New Delhi: Three days before voting in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of the Aam Aadmi Party, has drawn the Election Commission's attention to his allegation that electronic voting machines or EVMs have been tampered with to favour the BJP.
"We urge CEC to allow us to put a banner outside each booth educating voters abt EVMs (sic)," Mr Kejriwal tweeted this morning, saying he was trying to meet Chief Election Commissioner HS Brahma.
The Election Commission has rubbished his charge. Mr Brahma told NDTV that the machines cannot be tampered with and are secure. "Such charges have been investigated in the past as well...and people should not heed such rumours," he said.
The BJP has accused the AAP chief of trying to divert focus from funding allegations against his party, which has been accused by a group of its former supporters of accepting money from dubious companies.
Mr Kejriwal had alleged on Tuesday that during an inspection in the Delhi Cantonment area, four machines were found doctored in a way that the result always showed BJP, no matter what party the voters chose.
"Large scale EVM tampering? Yest, during inspection of EVMs in Del cant, in 4 machines, whatever button u pressed, light against BJP lit (sic)," said his tweet.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley responded, "Because they are in this situation now doesn't mean they start blaming other parties for EVM tampering and go to the Supreme Court to ask for a probe because everybody is dishonest."
Mr Kejriwal's party and the BJP are seen as the main rivals in the contest for Delhi. Voting for assembly polls in the capital will be held on Saturday. The results will be announced on February 10.