Samajwadi Party Demands Webcasting for Transparent Milkipur By-Poll

The Samajwadi Party has submitted a memorandum urging the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer to enable webcasting across all polling stations in the Milkipur assembly by-poll on February 5. This aims to enhance transparency and address concerns about Electronic Voting Machines, which have faced scrutiny from political figures concerned about electoral integrity.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has formally requested the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer to implement webcasting for all 414 polling stations during the Milkipur assembly by-election scheduled for February 5. The memorandum suggests that providing webcasting access to candidates and recognized political parties will promote fair and transparent elections.

SP President Shyam Lal Pal, on behalf of the party, emphasized the need for transparency in a letter sent Wednesday. Concerns over the trustworthiness of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been a recurring theme, with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav consistently voicing skepticism.

Echoing similar sentiments on electoral integrity, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray previously proposed reverting to ballot papers if doubts about EVM reliability persisted. Despite these apprehensions, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar dismissed allegations of EVM tampering at a press briefing on Tuesday, reiterating the Supreme Court's assurance of their dependability.

"No evidence exists to suggest that EVMs are unreliable or vulnerable to tampering," CEC Kumar stated emphatically. He further discredited the suggestion of transitioning back to paper ballots, labeling it 'unwarranted and regressive.'.

Regarding voter roll accuracy, Kumar assured that no voter deletion could occur without the necessary procedural Form 7. "Political parties are involved in multiple stages of the electoral process, and any claims or objections are transparently addressed with their oversight."

(With inputs from agencies.)