The opposition INDIA bloc, comprising several political parties, has decided to approach the Supreme Court, alleging manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra. This decision came after a meeting between veteran political leader Sharad Pawar and Delhi’s former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who also leads the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Sources indicate that the need for this move was felt in light of the significant losses suffered by the opposition in Maharashtra, as well as the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

In the Maharashtra polls, the opposition bloc, including Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), faced a crushing defeat, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition, Mahayuti, secured a decisive win. The INDIA bloc has voiced concerns over the credibility of the EVMs, claiming that the devices were manipulated in favor of the BJP, which resulted in their poor performance. The move comes at a crucial time, as Delhi’s assembly elections are approaching, and the opposition wants to plan ahead for the political battle.

AAP, under Kejriwal’s leadership, has emerged victorious in the last two Delhi elections, but the BJP is now hoping for a stronger showing amid ongoing corruption allegations against Kejriwal and his party. During the meeting, Prashant Jagtap, a leader of the NCP, announced the bloc’s intention to challenge the EVMs in the Supreme Court. Jagtap himself had lost the assembly elections from the Hadapsar seat in Pune.

Despite the opposition’s claims, the Supreme Court has consistently upheld the sanctity of EVMs, emphasizing their advantages in ensuring a free and fair election. The court has rejected allegations of tampering, pointing out that EVMs have eliminated issues such as booth capturing and invalid votes that were common with paper ballots. Furthermore, the Election Commission has dismissed the opposition’s allegations, stating that there was no mismatch between the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips and corresponding EVM numbers.

In the Maharashtra elections, the BJP-led coalition secured 235 out of 288 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi could only manage 46 seats.