NCP's Praful Patel Dismisses EVM Hacking Allegations

Praful Patel of NCP criticizes Karnataka's Home Minister over allegations of EVM hacking in Maharashtra. He labels it as 'sour grapes' following a significant victory for the Mahayuti coalition, led by Prime Minister Modi. Congress plans to appeal to the Election Commission over EVM concerns.

National Congress Party (NCP) Member of Parliament, Praful Patel, on Monday rebuked Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara for alleging that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Maharashtra had been tampered with. Patel described the claims as an inability of opponents to accept the massive election defeat, attributing Mahayuti's overwhelming victory to the strong alliance and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On November 24, Parameshwara expressed surprise over information regarding selective EVM hacking in Maharashtra. As the All India Congress Committee's observer of the Maharashtra elections, he mentioned that party leaders, including former Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, discussed the issue and planned to appeal to the Election Commission of India for further investigation.

The Mahayuti coalition secured 231 of 288 seats in Maharashtra's general assembly elections, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with just 50 seats. Parameshwara noted that the Congress and MVA's poor performance was common knowledge, prompting an analysis and subsequent decision to explore the possibility of EVM manipulation.

(With inputs from agencies.)