Digvijaya Singh Raises Concerns Over EVMs And Ram Temple Donations

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has expressed concerns over the Election Commission's functioning, alleging EVM irregularities and demanding accountability for donations collected during the Ram temple movement as part of his ongoing campaign.

Digvijaya Singh Questions Election Commission and EVM Integrity

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Friday raised concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission, alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and demanded accountability over donations collected in the name of the Ram temple movement, saying these issues form the foundation of the party's 'Satya Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra'. Questioning the alleged impartiality of the Election Commission and the role of the judiciary in addressing opposition concerns, Singh said the survival of democracy depended on a fair and independent electoral process.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "Today I am deeply concerned primarily about two issues: Will democracy survive in this country, or will it not? For a healthy democracy, an impartial Election Commission is essential. If elections are partisan, and if the Supreme Court places complete faith solely in the Election Commission while disregarding our concerns, will democracy survive? Voter registration has now been taken completely into its own hands by the Election Commission. Naturally, this is something we cannot accept. Therefore, our biggest issue is vote theft—both in the electoral rolls and within the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)."

Allegations Regarding Ram Temple Donations

Raising the second issue of alleged financial irregularities in donations collected for the Ram temple movement, the Congress leader alleged that the amount collected was significantly higher than what was officially declared. He also referred to his long-standing demand for an account of the donations. "The second issue is the theft/misappropriation of donations (Chanda Chori). It is simply crossing all limits! A scam worth crores of rupees took place, yet the SIT convinced the Supreme Court that the misappropriation did not exceed ₹80 lakh.I have been raising this slogan since 1993, when I was the State Congress President. Back then, when they collected donations for the Shila Pujan (stone consecration ceremony), even we contributed ₹1,000. How much they actually gathered, I do not know, but word was that between ₹1,400 crore and ₹1,700 crore was collected. Donations were taken from all over. People even donated silver bricks. Yet, in their official tax returns, they declared only ₹8.29 crore. But the widespread talk in Ayodhya was that ₹1,400 to ₹1,700 crore had been collected," he said.

Unresolved Murder Case and Calls for Accountability

Singh also referred to the murder of Mahant Baba Lal Das, the then head priest appointed by the court, alleging that he had sought an account of the donations collected by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). He said the circumstances surrounding the murder remained unresolved and recalled the slogan he had raised during his tenure as State Congress president. Singh asserted, "The head priest at that time, who was appointed by the court—Mahant Baba Lal Das Ji—openly opposed Advani Ji. He demanded an accounting of the donations from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). In September 1993, he was murdered. To this day, nobody has discovered who killed him. I have been asking for an accounting of those donations since back then. My slogan on behalf of the State Congress Committee at the time was: "Ram bhakt jaago, chande ka hisaab maango" (Devotees of Ram awaken, demand an account of the donations!). Today, I am still saying the exact same thing. These two issues form the foundation of our Satya Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra."

Demands for Electoral Transparency

Emphasising that the Congress party's concerns were centred on voters' constitutional rights rather than electoral outcomes, Singh questioned the changes in the powers of election officials and demanded greater transparency in the voting process. He said, "Our battle is not about election outcomes; our fight is about our rights. It is my constitutional right that my vote is registered in the voter list. Whose responsibility is that? The Election Commission's. It is not my obligation to prove my citizenship; that responsibility rests with the Election Commission. And previously, it wasn't the Chief Election Commissioner, but the Returning Officer in each district who possessed this authority. You have stripped away those local powers. Secondly, regarding the machine, our second right is: whomever I choose to cast my vote for, the vote must actually be registered and counted for that candidate. I need to be personally assured. I do not want a mere 7-second glimpse of my vote on a screen. I want the physical VVPAT slip in my hand so that I can verify it, fold it, and drop it into the ballot box myself."

Further questioning the continued use of EVMs without providing voters with a physical verification mechanism, Singh said several countries using electronic voting systems provide printed receipts to voters. He also called for greater transparency regarding the software used in EVMs. "Even today, only about seven countries worldwide use EVMs, and they provide a printed receipt or certificate to the voter. Why doesn't the Election Commission do that here? Furthermore, the software that is installed is usually made available in the public domain. Why don't they do that? Why do they claim it will get hacked? That is our fight," he added.

Earlier, Digvijaya Singh announced that 'Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra' (Sanatan Self-Respect March) started from Ujjain to Ayodhya, commencing on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, October 20. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)