After praising Modi, Ajit Pawar says he trusts EVMs

Maharashtra Opposition leader Ajit Pawar, who belongs to Nationalist Congress Party, on Saturday said Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are trustworthy and the system cannot be manipulated by a single person.

He also said political parties that lose elections often blame EVMs for their performance but they should understand that electoral defeat is the mandate of the people.

The senior NCP leader's 'clean chit' to EVMs comes days after he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma for the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in 2014 polls and said inflation and jobs for youth are more important issues in the country than the PM's academic degree.

"I trust EVMs. A single person cannot manipulate EVMs. It's a big system and multiple checks are involved. However, the party which faces defeat in polls blames the voting machine but one should understand that the poll outcome is the mandate of the people," Ajit Pawar told reporters.

Notably, the NCP leader was responding to a query on an editorial published in Saturday's edition of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray mouthpiece Saamana which claimed the BJP wins elections by 'hacking' EVMs and congratulated Bangladesh poll body for 'doing away with EVMs and deciding to use ballot papers for the next elections'.

"Had EVMs been defective, opposition parties couldn't have formed governments in various states including Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu etc. A single person can't manipulate EVMs in a huge country like India. If somehow it is proved that voting machines are rigged, there will be big chaos in the country," he added.