Whining of a defeatist mentality

Everyone is now interpreting the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections in one’s own way. BJP’s aim and policy was firm and therefore the result was also as expected by BJP which was moving forward confidently. But opposition parties which are hurt by this defeat are bewildered by their failure. Now they either cannot analyze the defeat or they don’t want to analyze and it is a very sorry picture that the opposition parties are blaming EVM just to dodge their responsibility.

Actually, this is a great opportunity for the anti-BJP parties to understand the reasons behind their defeat. After this defeat, it was expected that these opposition parties would introspect and decide the future course of action. After finding out where they went wrong, they should have planned the future political course. But instead of doing all that, as per their convenience, the opposition parties are trying to get away by just blaming the EVM system for their failure. Because by finding the reasons for their defeat, they are going to see their own flaws prominently. Since there is a possibility that they themselves will be exposed by this, they want to avoid it by putting forward the frivolous reason of the EVM scam.

It is very easy to criticize EVMs which have become a soft target these days. Doubting the EVM system vaguely makes everything easy. Because there is no obligation on them to prove the EVM scams with proof. If we look at the records of the elections held so far, it can be seen that BJP’s opponents have created a false fear about EVMs in front of the voters. The onus to prove these allegations is on the accusers. However, so far the opposition has not been able to prove anything concrete in the EVM case. These parties have done nothing but make baseless and pointless allegations.

A party that honestly accepts defeat and takes the public opinion into consideration and learns from it to determine its future is more likely to establish itself somewhere in the future. But this opposition is not ready to learn from it. Demoralized and drained by the crushing defeat, the opposition party is not ready to take any responsibility other than the EVM scam. Opposition parties are losing their own credibility by expressing baseless doubts on the EVM system. Because making allegations without evidence is an insult to the entire system, the Election Commission, the ruling party and ultimately the voters. Therefore, they must realize that, just because in democracy there is a right to accuse, using that right to misguide is a mockery of democracy. Opposition should not forget that if they are exercising the right to accuse, then the onus of proving it is also on them. So far they have created so much ruckus on this issue that in case there was actually a scam, they could have exposed it. However, they should tell to what level it is needed to be proved that there is nothing wrong with it. But what can be done about it when these opposition parties pretending to be asleep do not want to wake up?

It only shows how hypocritical the opposition is when after Lok Sabha results were announced everything was fine and in Vidhan Sabha elections after a crushing defeat they started seeing EVM scam. The Supreme Court has recently reprimanded those who made an allegation that there was a scam in this election. The court has rejected the demand to hold elections on ballot paper instead of EVM. Still, the opposition does not have the wisdom to learn from it. None other than the Supreme Court has made an observation that when you win an election, the EVM is fine and when you lose, you say that the EVM is tampered with.

The functioning of the Election Commission is very clear. No opposition party has yet been able to prove this wrong. The candidate’s office receives a list of the machines that will be sent to each polling station during the election. The representatives of the candidates have to ensure that the machines have arrived as per the list. Once the candidate’s representative gives his confirmation, a mock polling of one thousand votes is conducted. It is ensured that when the button of a particular symbol is pressed, the same symbol is registered on the VVPAT. Representatives of all candidates are present at each polling station. This test is conducted in front of them. They can object in that regard. Form 17-C is given to the representative of each candidate which records the time when the polling started, how many votes were cast, which machine was changed during the polling and why, when the polling ended. A set of ballot boxes and EVMs are kept under strict security. There is CCTV monitoring. Besides that representatives of the candidates are also keep an eye. Candidates’ representatives are taken into confidence at every stage, right from the arrival of the sets of electronic voting machines to the districts and constituencies till the counting of votes. There is detailed information available on the website of the Election Commission about what electronic voting system is and how to implement it.

Now even after knowing that all types of precautions are being taken, if opposition parties are still creating ruckus then it can be called nothing but the baseless blame game. Out of 288 constituencies not even a single candidate’s representative from a single constituency has publicly stated that there is a discrepancy between the polling in his constituency and the polling in his constituency as declared by the Election Commission. If stated so, no corroborating evidence has been given. Now what can we call it? This is a living example of the extent to which a defeatist mentality can lead political parties. They are delusional if they think that this will get them sympathy and cover their defeat. As people are questioning their conscience now and they will not be able to afford it in future.

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – 2 December,2024) 

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson