Experts Condemn Chandrababu’s Criticism Of EC, EVMs 

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu‘s allegations on the Central Election Commission have angered many civil servants, legal experts, academics and other intellectuals.

They dismissed his charges on the election commission as completely irrelevant and asked Chandrababu as to why he did not raise an objection at the time of 2014 elections.

When it is clear that he was facing imminent defeat, the TDP supremo was coming out with all kinds of excuses, intellectuals said.

Former Union Energy Secretary and senior civil servant EAS Sarma said that people voted in large numbers proving that they had faith in democracy.

The Election Commission transferred certain officials who it felt were not behaving in an impartial fashion. Chandrababu Naidu‘s allegations against the Election Commission of India were undemocratic and the ECI should take action against such politicians as per law, Sarma added.

Professor L Venugopal Reddy, former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University and Acharya Nagarjuna University condemned Chandrababu Naidu‘s criticism of the Election Commission of India and the TDP chief’s attributing political motives to the EC.

He said that it was strange that the TDP chief was finding fault with EVMs especially because Chandrababu claimed that it was he who introduced computers and technology to the country.

Now the same Chandrababu opposes EVMs, he said. In 2014 when EVMs were used, TDP came to power, he pointed out. At that time he did not find fault with electronic voting machines.

In the April 11 elections, along with EVMs, VVPAT slips were also used and the electoral process passed off smoothly. Chandrababu Naidu is unnecessarily kicking up a row over the elections which had just concluded, Professor Reddy commented.

Mupalla Subba Rao, a State Bar Council Member, described Chandrababu’s fuss over EM is as a reaction to his fear of defeat. He pointed out that both in 2014 elections as well as in 2016 in Nandyal by-elections EVMs were used.

Now when the TDP seemed headed towards defeat in the April 11 elections, Chandrababu was blaming it on the EVMs, he pointed out. The TDP chief was finding excuses for his imminent defeat, he said.

Senior journalist Professor K Nageshwar wondered why Chandrababu did not complain when he found that his vote had gone to someone else. It was not proper to claim later that he did not know to whom his was cast.

Millions of people exercised their franchise, among them TDP ministers, MLAs, candidates, workers and others and no one had lodged a complaint. Had the votes gone to someone else there would have been a lot of commotion near the polling booths.

The fact that this did not happen shows that polling went on smoothly and efficiently. Did the TDP ever raise the issue of defective EVMs when it was a part of the NDA government from 2014 to 2018? Did it ever bring up the issue in Parliament? Chandrababu Naidu‘s allegations therefore were irrelevant, he said.

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