BJP pre-programmed EVMs during Lok Sabha polls: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday night claimed that majority of EVMs were pre-programmed by the BJP during the recent Lok Sabha polls, and urged all opposition parties to form a fact-finding team to unearth the truth. "We have already discussed this with the Congress. If required, we shall move court challenging this electoral malpractice," Banerjee said.

She wondered how BJP leaders could predict the near- exact figures of the poll results before they were announced. "How the BJP leaders came to know beforehand that it will win in over 300 seats in the country and 23 in Bengal? The final tally was close to what they had predicted. The EVMs were all pre-programmed by the BJP," she claimed during an interview to a Bengali news channel.

The chief minister alleged that the programming was done keeping in mind the possible transfer of votes among parties. Banerjee also appealed to supporters of the Left parties to refrain from joining the BJP, and instead come to the TMC fold, which will "look into their interests".

She accused the BJP of spending huge amount of money to influence the voters, and said the Trinamool Congress had lodged several complaints to the Election Commission in this regard, which "fell on deaf ears". "The BJP not only utilised money power, but also used all government agencies against the opposition parties for political gains," she said.

The chief minister also criticised the poll panel for failing to operate in an impartial manner..

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