New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission (EC) issued notice to Telugu Desam Party, asking why they a person accused of stealing an EVM to be part of the delegation that knocked on its doors, the party responded by expressing displeasure over the inclusion of Hari P Vemuru, an "EVM theft accused", in the Chandrababu Naidu-led delegation that met the poll body yesterday on alleged malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and VVPAT during elections in the state.
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In its response to EC’s letter that expressed displeasure with the attendance of Hari P Vemuru in the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu‘s delegation, the party further said: "We would like to state that instead of focusing on the issue, the Commission is trying to avoid the situation." The TDP said, the commission should, instead, "comprehend, clarify and resolve the issues raised by Mr. Hari Prasad Vemuru on our behalf".
Yesterday, Naidu met officials of the ECI over the issue of EVM 'malfunctioning' in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Naidu demanded the ECI to revert to ballot paper system immediately to "preserve the sanctity and protect the spirit of the electoral process and democracy." Mr. Naidu alleges that 30 to 40 percent of voting machines in his state did not work properly on Thursday, the first day of the national election. He has demanded a re-poll in nearly 150 polling and has accused the election body of working on the instructions of the government.