Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently shared his thoughts on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) while talking to PTI. He disagreed with the Congress party, which has been unhappy with EVMs after losing elections. Abdullah pointed out that it’s not fair to celebrate victory when EVMs work well for you, but then complain about them when you lose.
He even noted that many Members of Parliament have used the same EVMs during elections, so if they won, they shouldn’t suddenly doubt the machines later on. When someone mentioned that he sounded like a spokesperson for the BJP, he jokingly said, “God forbid!” He clarified that he stands by his principles and not just his party’s views. As an example, he supports the Central Vista project, believing that a new Parliament building is a great idea because the old one was old and inefficient.
Abdullah argued that if political parties don’t trust the voting process, they shouldn’t compete in elections. He suggested that the opposition, especially Congress, is wrong for focusing too much on issues with EVMs when they should be consistent in their opinions. After losing in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress questioned the reliability of EVMs and asked for a return to paper ballots.
His criticism adds to the growing tension between his National Conference party and the Congress, which they partnered with in the September 2023 elections. National Conference officials say Congress didn’t help much during the campaign, leaving most of the work to them. Despite this, the National Conference won 42 out of 90 seats, while the Congress only got 6. Abdullah insisted that all parties should take responsibility for their losses instead of blaming the machines, stating, “Some days voters choose you, and some days they don’t.” He even recounted how he lost in the Lok Sabha elections but won in the assembly polls, explaining that he never blamed the EVMs.
