Opposition parties are claiming that they should have been informed if there was some movement of EVMs. They are also alleging that these machines were to be fed with ‘bogus votes’ and “on the counting day may be replaced by original machines while moving them from the strong room to the counting centre.”The Opposition has also alleged that not only in Varanasi, but also at other places in the state, similar incidents have happened since polling started in UP on February 10.Even if these allegations were unsubstantiated, for the sake of the good health of democracy, the poll body should ensure transparency and fairness. What if it fails?We all know “Free and Fair” elections are a prerequisite for a strong democracy. If the faith of a single participant in the process is shaken, the entire process is worthless. We, in the past, have witnessed consequences and outcomes when people lost their faith in the system itself.The Samajwadi Party has claimed that “this is the last election, until people will be forced out to come on the streets” and it may just be an indication of the events in the coming months.Fatos Nano, an Albanian Socialist leader, once said, “Organizing free and fair elections is more important than the result itself.” Nano was calling for fairness at a time when allegations of rigging started surfacing in the state of Kashmir.We should pray that the election process remains peaceful and “people aren’t forced onto the streets”, as Akhilesh Yadav sad.
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