Supriya Sule Defends EVMs: "Won Four Elections on Same Machines" as Opposition Questions Electoral Integrity

Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has distanced herself from the Opposition's claims regarding electronic voting machine (EVM) manipulation, citing her own electoral success as evidence of their reliability.

"I have been elected on the same machine four times, so I will not question the EVMs or VVPATs. I am not speaking against the machine," Sule stated during a parliamentary debate focused on election reforms. The four-term Lok Sabha representative from Baramati in Maharashtra expressed she was making "a very limited point" while having "great expectations" from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which secured a significant mandate in her state.

Sule's position notably contrasts with that of her INDIA bloc ally Congress, particularly coming days after Rahul Gandhi intensified accusations of poll manipulation against the central government. These allegations have been a recurring theme from Opposition parties for several years.

In a similar vein, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah previously remarked that it is "wrong" to question EVMs "only when results don't meet expectations."

During the debate, Gandhi reiterated his claim that the BJP is "directing and using" the Election Commission to undermine India's democratic processes. He also raised concerns about the Chief Justice of India's removal from the selection panel that appoints Election Commissioners.

The Congress leader advocated for several electoral reforms, including providing machine-readable voter lists to all parties a month before elections, eliminating the law permitting destruction of CCTV footage after 45 days, granting access to EVMs, and amending legislation that allows Election Commissioners to operate without sufficient accountability.

In response, Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered Gandhi's arguments by highlighting that EVMs were actually introduced in India by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi - Rahul Gandhi's father. Shah also emphasized that the Congress party won the first election conducted using EVMs in 2004, which resulted in Manmohan Singh becoming Prime Minister.

"Ten years later, when we won in 2014, they raised doubts," Shah pointed out, suggesting the opposition to EVMs was politically motivated rather than based on genuine concerns about electoral integrity.