In case of mismatch with EVM figures, all VVPATs must be counted: Yechury

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of 21 Opposition parties, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, to review its judgment rejecting 50% random physical verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) using Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

New Delhi: Reiterating its demand for new rules for counting of votes in constituencies where VVPAT slips do not tally with EVM figures, the CPI(M) on Monday said in such cases, all VVPAT slips should be counted.

Opposition parties have urged the Election Commission (EC) to frame new rules for counting of votes in constituencies where VVPAT slips do not tally with EVM figures after the Supreme Court rejected a review petition filed by 21 opposition parties for increasing VVPAT tallying with EVM figures to 50 per cent.

"On VVPATs & the EVM tally, the EC is yet to come out with a procedure in case there is a mismatch! Even if there is one mismatch in the VVPAT samples picked for counting and EVMs, to maintain integrity of the electoral process, all VVPATs in that assembly segment must be counted," Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet.

Polling for the seven-phased Lok Sabha election came to an end on Sunday and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.