Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a swipe at opposition parties for their recurring accusations of EVM tampering, noting that they all fell silent on the evening of June 4.
During an NDA parliamentary meeting in New Delhi, PM Modi remarked: “When the results were being announced on June 4, I was engrossed in work. Later, I started receiving phone calls. I asked someone if the numbers were acceptable and jokingly inquired whether the EVM was still ‘alive.’ I anticipated the opposition might declare the ‘death’ of the EVM this time.”
PM Modi indicated that the opposition had even prepared a comprehensive strategy to question the EVMs before the counting began.
“These people (the Opposition) had resolved to undermine public confidence in India’s democracy and electoral process. They continuously criticized the EVMs. I expected they would hold a ‘funeral procession’ for the EVM. However, by the evening of June 4, they were silenced. The EVMs shut them up,” he stated.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that the EVMs would not be doubted for at least the next five years.
He was referring to the opposition’s quietness regarding EVMs after the INDIA bloc parties performed better in the Lok Sabha elections than many pollsters had anticipated.
PM Modi also suggested that by 2029, the opposition might once again raise concerns about the EVMs.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA secured 292 seats, while the opposition bloc INDIA obtained 234 seats.