GUWAHATI | May 14: The principal opposition party in Assam has blamed the alleged doctored EVMs for its defeat in the just concluded assembly election. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) that was hoping to overthrow the Congress regime in the state is yet to recover from its shock of defeat.
The AGP has alleged that the Election Commission ignored its plea of reverting to the ‘tried and tested’ ballot papers. The allegations followed its poor show in Mandate 2011; the party bagged only 10 seats – 14 less than in 2006 – compared to the Congress’ 78.
“We had asked EC to dump the electronic voting machines as they are vulnerable to manipulations by officials with vested interests after votes are cast,” said former president Brindaban Goswami after losing his pet Tezpur seat to a Congress rookie.
Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta went a step ahead, saying a minister in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet had been going about town bragging about ‘friendly EVMs’. He declined to name the minister.
“This minister said EVMs would decide which way the cookie crumbles and not the people. What does it mean? Even advanced nations such as the USA have discarded EVMs for being unreliable,” Mahanta said.
Mahanta won the Barhampur seat but lost the Samaguri seat to forest minister Rockybul Hussain by quite a distance.
“Electoral victories in Assam have traditionally been marked by narrow margins. The wide gap between victors and losers this time leaves room for questions. Besides, how did the Congress know it would get more than 70 seats?” asked former AGP minister Atul Bora.
The Congress brushed the allegations aside saying they were a case of sour grapes. “One should be graceful in defeat,” said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
AGP President Patowary resigns
A day after his party’s dismal performance in the Assam assembly election, opposition Asom Gana Parishad President Chandra Mohan Patowary today announced his resignation from the party.
Owning moral responsibility for his party’s poor showing, Mr. Patowary submitted his resignation papers to the party working President Phani Bhusan Choudhury.
In the just-concluded election, the AGP managed to win only 10 seats compared to Congress’ 78 in the 126-member House.
The party suffered humiliation when Mr. Patowary himself bit the dust in his home Dharmapur constituency which has been wrested by his Congress opponent and former minister Nilomani Sen Deka.
Opposition leader and two-time former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who contested from two constituencies, could manage to win from one in Bahrampur.
The AGP founder-president lost to forest minister Rockybul Hussain in the Samuguri seat.
Immediately after the party’s defeat, Mr. Mahanta had alleged that victory of the Congress could be possible only because EVMs were tampered with in various strong rooms in connivance with government and police officials, a charge which Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi denied.
The AGP has alleged that the Election Commission ignored its plea of reverting to the ‘tried and tested’ ballot papers. The allegations followed its poor show in Mandate 2011; the party bagged only 10 seats – 14 less than in 2006 – compared to the Congress’ 78.
“We had asked EC to dump the electronic voting machines as they are vulnerable to manipulations by officials with vested interests after votes are cast,” said former president Brindaban Goswami after losing his pet Tezpur seat to a Congress rookie.
Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta went a step ahead, saying a minister in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet had been going about town bragging about ‘friendly EVMs’. He declined to name the minister.
“This minister said EVMs would decide which way the cookie crumbles and not the people. What does it mean? Even advanced nations such as the USA have discarded EVMs for being unreliable,” Mahanta said.
Mahanta won the Barhampur seat but lost the Samaguri seat to forest minister Rockybul Hussain by quite a distance.
“Electoral victories in Assam have traditionally been marked by narrow margins. The wide gap between victors and losers this time leaves room for questions. Besides, how did the Congress know it would get more than 70 seats?” asked former AGP minister Atul Bora.
The Congress brushed the allegations aside saying they were a case of sour grapes. “One should be graceful in defeat,” said health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
AGP President Patowary resigns
A day after his party’s dismal performance in the Assam assembly election, opposition Asom Gana Parishad President Chandra Mohan Patowary today announced his resignation from the party.
Owning moral responsibility for his party’s poor showing, Mr. Patowary submitted his resignation papers to the party working President Phani Bhusan Choudhury.
In the just-concluded election, the AGP managed to win only 10 seats compared to Congress’ 78 in the 126-member House.
The party suffered humiliation when Mr. Patowary himself bit the dust in his home Dharmapur constituency which has been wrested by his Congress opponent and former minister Nilomani Sen Deka.
Opposition leader and two-time former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who contested from two constituencies, could manage to win from one in Bahrampur.
The AGP founder-president lost to forest minister Rockybul Hussain in the Samuguri seat.
Immediately after the party’s defeat, Mr. Mahanta had alleged that victory of the Congress could be possible only because EVMs were tampered with in various strong rooms in connivance with government and police officials, a charge which Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi denied.
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