Election rigged, claim Amarinder, Manpreet
Sunday, 15/07/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120715/punjab.htm#2
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today claimed the Dasuya bypoll had been rigged by the SAD-BJP combine whereas People's Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal alleged that EVMs had been tampered with by the Akalis.
Both the leaders, however, could not come out with any proof to support their arguments. Amarinder Singh, in a statement, said, "The victory margin by which BJP candidate Sukhjit Kaur Sahi has defeated Arun Dogra of the Congress is unrealistic. It is enough to prove that the election has been rigged by the ruling SAD-BJP alliance."
While campaigning in Dasuya in the run-up to the elections, Amarinder had claimed that the bypoll would serve as a referendum on the allegedly wrong policies of the SAD-BJP government. However, he today maintained that the SAD-BJP victory was not an endorsement of the government but "showed it could rig elections for a victory".
The PCC chief alleged that the ruling alliance leaders, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, had got Dasuya garrisoned to defeat the democratic process.
On the other hand, Manpreet Badal has sought a scientific and technical examination of EVMs, which, he claimed, had been tampered with.
Manpreet demanded that the EVMs were still lying in counting centres and an immediate 'on the spot' analysis of "manipulative programming" and "tampering" of these machines be conducted. He said this should be done by outside experts.
He said, "The EVMs have been converted into electronic vote manipulators by being programmed to automatically transfer votes from one candidate to the account of another. As the machines are still in Dasuya, they can be re-checked for consistency and accuracy."
Manpreet alleged this was the second time in a row after the recent assembly elections that the Punjabis had been cheated in a democratic process. He said he would initiate a nationwide debate into the issue of EVM tampering.
