TMC asks EC why can't VVPAT slips be counted first

22 opposition parties met top EC officials on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, demanding that VVPAT slips should be counted first.

West Bengal: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Dinesh Trivedi yet again urged the Election Commission of India to ensure transparency and fairness in the counting process by verifying EVM results with VVPATs.  

"What harm will be done if paper trail is counted first?" Trivedi tweeted, urging EC to take the decision for democracy.    

ECI must keep it's integrity .What harm will be done if paper trail counted first?This will remove doubts .Do it for Democracy. — Dinesh Trivedi (@DinTri) May 22, 2019

He also asked the EC to give a reason as to why they would "not heed to the logical demand of the opposition of tallying of votes with paper trail first?"

Can the EC give one good reason why they would not heed to the logical demand of the opposition of tallying of votes with paper trail first?

— Dinesh Trivedi (@DinTri) May 22, 2019

On Tuesday, 22 opposition parties, including the TMC, met top EC officials and submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, demanding that VVPAT slips at randomly selected five polling booths should be counted first, and if any discrepancy occurs, then VVPAT slips should be tallied for the entire assembly segments.

The EC said it would discuss the issue on Wednesday.

"It is requested that the verification of VVPAT slips of randomly identified (05) polling stations should be done prior to the initiation of counting of votes and not after the completion of last round of counting," the memorandum to the Election Commission stated. 

"If any discrepancy is found anywhere during the VVPAT verification, 100% counting of paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that assembly segment should be done," it added. 

The meeting came on a day the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs.

(With agencies inputs)